Soul and Maka's Past
by Zenophobia
Summary: "Maka! Hey Maka! You're a meister, aren't you? I'm Soul Eater, and I'm going to be the world's strongest Death Scythe. Want to partner up?" The story of Soul and Maka's past and all their adventures at DWMA. Semi-oneshot.
1. Soul and Maka's Past Part I

**AN: Hello, everyone! Firstly, I'd like to explain what I mean by semi-oneshot. What I mean is that if Atsushi Okubo decided to insert the story of Soul and Maka's past somewhere in the manga, he wouldn't insert their WHOLE past, right? He'd just talk about the important stuff, like how they met and became partners. That's basically the first three chapters of this fanfic. They act almost as a standalone story with it's own plot and climax. The rest of the chapters are just a continuation that talks about all their adventures at DWMA, and if you're too lazy to read this whole fanfic, you can just stop at chapter 3. XD**

**Another thing: Sorry if you don't like all the Americanisms that I use. Personally, I like Shibusen over DWMA and Shinigami-sama over Lord Death, but that doesn't really fit. They live in Death City, Nevada. Therefore, they speak American, and all the names get Americanized. That's right. American ****_is_**** a language. 'MERICA!**

**This whole story was inspired by only several lines from the Soul Eater manga. They are as follows:  
_"What is this? Men are such lowlifes. All you ever do is womanize. Still… after I finally decided to trust one of you… Unbelievable."_  
Gee, I wonder who says those lines? XD. Anyways, there was just so much meaning behind those simple words that I had to write this. Why would Maka trust Soul? Why was he an exception? This fanfic tells the story of how these two met and became partners. **

**Disclaimer: Oh guess what? I don't own Soul Eater. XD**

* * *

Chapter 1: Soul and Maka's Past Part I

* * *

_ So this is Death City, huh?_ Was his first thought.

His second thought was: _Where do I park my cycle?_

Soul Eater regarded his surroundings with wonder. It was as if he had walked into a dream. The wonky buildings, the towering apartments, and the massive construct at the heart of the city were all breathtaking sights to behold. Except...

_Where is everybody?_

Soul looked around. There was no one to be seen. The street was empty. The buildings that crammed either side of it like ranks of masks yielded no signs of life. The place was deserted. Soul cast his eyes around and spotted a metal rack off to one side. It was filled with shabby, worn down bikes. Soul parked his cycle next to the rack with a smile. He was the only one with a cool motorcycle in town.

_I guess I can't leave this here, though._ Soul thought as he grabbed his suitcase from the back of his bike and placed its wheels on the ground. He turned and regarded the lonely street suspiciously. The masks stared back.

_Well, no point in standing around._ Soul thought to himself, and ventured down the lifeless street. The masks glared at him as he passed. His suitcase rolled noisily beside him- the only sound to intrude the foreboding silence. Soul looked wearily at the rows of dark houses on either side of him.

_Where is everybody?_ He wondered again. No signs of life. Nothing to accompany him except the desert heat. It followed him, laughing and teasing beads of sweat from his skin. The masks seemed to laugh with it, jeering and taunting silently, so much that Soul felt like he was back at home again, with those horrid looks that people gave him-

Voices. At last! They pierced through the silence and cut the tension like a scythe through weeds. The laughter stopped obediently. Soul realized that he had been gritting his teeth. He relaxed with a sigh.

"What is it, Lord Death?" a soft voice spoke. Soul turned the corner and spotted the source. A girl with her ash-gray hair tied in pigtails was talking to a mirror, except it wasn't a mirror, because two figures were standing in it. Mirrors are supposed to reflect things, aren't they?

"Maka, I love you!" exclaimed the shorter figure. It was a young man with deep red hair, almost the color of blood. The other figure was the masked person Soul had seen on the pamphlet that he had received. What was his name again?

"Well, Lord Death? Why did you ask me to call you?" the girl spoke again, ignoring the red-haired man's remark.

"Well, you see… your father has something to say," the masked figure said, gesturing to the red-haired man.

"Maka, Good luck on your first day of school!" the man said enthusiastically. He puckered his lips and made a face that only babies would appreciate. The girl ignored him.

"If Papa has something to say to me, he can do it in person. This is an abuse of authority, and I'm already late to the opening ceremony," she said. "Is there anything else, sir?"

"Umm… no, but…"

"Very well, then."

The girl waved her hand over the surface and it became a mirror again. She noticed Soul for the first time. She was cute, but her green eyes looked at his reflection calculatingly. Coldly. She turned and they stared at each other for a brief moment.

_Who's that?_

Soul opened his mouth to speak, but the girl turned briskly and walked away. Soul hesitated for a second, slightly irritated, and then followed her, a couple yards behind. Perhaps she was a student. Perhaps she could tell him where he could put his belongings, and where the heck the Academy was. His suitcase rolled noisily beside him. The girl heard it and quickened her pace. Soul struggled to keep up. Soon, they were both running through alleys and around houses, so deep into the labyrinth that there was no way Soul would find his way out on his own.

"Wait!" Soul called. The girl disappeared behind a house-

He ran after her-

turned the corner-

BAM! Stars flew before Soul's eyes and he felt a sharp pain on the top of his head unlike anything he had ever felt before. Soul fell to the ground, disoriented. The pain remained achingly, and Soul realized that he had been hit.

_What the hell!?_ Soul could only remember one time in his life that he had been hit before, and that was when his mother- never mind that. He had left that life behind. Soul looked up from where he had fallen. The girl was running away.

"Why you little… Wait!" Soul called again as he got up. He wasn't about to let his only source of information get away, especially not when he was this deep in the maze of buildings.

"Wait up!" The girl stopped and turned suddenly.

"What? What do you want?!" she asked ferociously. A textbook hovered in her hands, poised and ready to strike. There was a murderous glint in her eyes. Soul stopped, surprised.

"What do you want from me? Are you someone on Lord Death's list?"

"Who's list? What are you talking about? I'm a student of the Academy!"

"You're a student of the Academy?" the girl's eyes widened. "Oh, I'm so sorry about earlier! I thought you were going to attack me." She tucked her book away.

"O-okay... but I just wanted to ask where the Academy was. I'm new here," Soul said, confused.

"Oh, I'm going to the Academy right now. You can come with me," the girl smiled quickly, but it was a fake smile that held no warmth. Soul knew that smile all too well. It was always painted on the faces of his parents.

"Alright… thanks," Soul said cautiously. The girl headed off, and Soul hastened to catch up.

_What's up with her?_ He thought. _First she attacks me and now she's pretending to be friendly with me?_ The girl led them through the maze of houses and alleyways only barely wide enough to fit them.

"You seem to know this place well. Do you live here?" Soul asked.

"Yes, but this is my first year attending the school," the girl replied shortly. Soul pondered for a moment. Who was this girl? Was everyone else at the Academy like this? And…

"Why is this place so deserted?"Soul asked.

"Most of the people living here are students or teachers. Today is the entrance ceremony for the year, so of course everyone is at the Academy. We're both already late," the girl replied, and then looked at him. "You _are_ a student, aren't you? You should know these things." The book appeared in her hands.

"Of course!" Soul replied hastily. "No need to hit anybody, jeez." They stopped at the foot of a massive staircase leading to the towering building decorated with arches and spikes at the center of the city. It had a multitude of towers and massive candles, so much that it looked like a hulking monster, primitive yet majestic at the same time. Soul stood there, awestruck by the grand scale of the enormous construct.

This was the Death Weapon Meister Academy.

"Are you coming?"

Soul broke out of his trance. The girl was already climbing the stairs.

"Wait!" Soul called, struggling with his suitcase. The girl watched him disapprovingly.

"Don't you have an apartment room to put your things in yet?" she asked disdainfully.

"No, I just got here," Soul replied. The girl looked at him with those cold, calculating eyes.

"Open the suitcase."

"What?!"

"I said open the suitcase."

"Why?!"

"You're suspicious. You show up late with very little info and you don't have a place to put your belongings. Instead, you bring your suitcase to school. That could contain a weapon of some sort. Maybe a bomb."

"What? What kind of person brings a bomb to a school like this?"

"Lord Death has many enemies. You could be working for witches." The book appeared.

"Alright, alright!" Soul sighed. He opened his suitcase for her to see.

"There! Toothbrush, pajamas, spare clothes, and a suit! Are you satisfied?"

The girl regarded him with disbelief, but then her expression hardened.

"Alright, then. One more test. There's only one way someone with planning skills as poor as yours could get into DWMA, and that's if you're a weapon," she said.

"That's right. I'm a weapon," Soul replied. He raised his hand and it became a black and red blade, the steel so clean that it reflected their surroundings like a mirror.

"I'm a scythe. Pretty cool, huh?" Soul smiled. The girl was impressed, obviously taken back by his coolness, but her face suddenly turned sour, as if recalling a bad memory.

"Alright, you pass," she said, then turned briskly and began marching up the stairs. Annoyed, Soul gathered his suitcase and hurried to catch up.

_How the heck was she raised?_ Soul wondered. He frowned and looked away, wiping sweat from his forehead. The heat came back again, burning away at the two of them. Soul wished he hadn't worn his jacket, but then pushed that thought aside. He looked cool in his jacket. They reached the top of the steps and faced a crowd of students milling about on the landing.

"Oh, so we weren't late after all," Soul noted. He turned to see if the girl had heard.

She was gone.

* * *

Maka entered the crowd quickly. She did not want to be involved with the white-haired boy any longer. He wasn't going to get her expelled for attacking another student, but he could still get her into some serious trouble. Plus, he was a guy and he looked scary. Those sadistic, crimson eyes, that evil smirk with the sharp teeth- Maka shuddered at the thought of him. She turned her mind back to the subject at hand.

_If I'm going to make the world's strongest Death Scythe and beat Papa, I'm going to need someone strong._ She thought. This year's freshmen had potential. Jacqueline could turn into a fire lantern and fly. Tsubaki was a shadow weapon of the Nakatsukasa clan- she could change into a variety of weapons. As she searched, Maka noticed a young male watching her with predatory eyes. The boy approached her, but as he got close and observed her from head to toe, his face fell in disappointment. The male turned, spotted a pretty girl with an attractive body, and gleefully headed her way. Maka stood there for a moment, pissed.

_It's because I have no sex appeal, isn't it?_ She thought. Fine. She didn't want a male partner anyways. All they ever did was cheat and fool around. Maka turned to search the crowd again-

"HEEHAW!" Maka looked up. The murmur of the crowd died down.

"Hey you! Be sure to remember! I am the famous Black Star!" Maka sighed inwardly.

"I will be above god someday! In fact, I'm almost there!" It was none other than Black Star perched atop one of the decorative spikes overlooking the platform. Shouting as always.

"Don't be sorry, you mediocre nobody! I'm just too awesome!" The crowd began to move. The doors were opening.

_I guess I can't look for Tsubaki or Jackie when the crowd's moving like this._ Maka thought. _I'll have to search again tomorrow._

"There is nothing more precious in the world than me! You'll see my halo above my head very soon!" The shouting could be heard even as Maka entered the cool shadows of the dark building. The crowd began to disperse in many directions. After fifteen minutes of searching, Maka found the door she was looking for. Beside it was a sign that read: "EAT Class. Freshmen." Maka heard the familiar noise of a rolling suitcase behind her.

"Oh, we're in the same class," said the deep voice.

_Not this guy again…_ Maka thought. Did the white-haired boy really make it into the EAT class? Or did he just get lost with those poor planning skills of his?

"Umm… is this the EAT class?" another voice asked. Maka turned and couldn't believe her eyes.

"Tsubaki-!" she exclaimed.

"Of course it is!" a loud voice interrupted her. "There's no class great enough for me, but the great Black Star will be generous enough to lower his standards to the best this school can offer! Let's go, Tsubaki!"

"Okay!"

Maka watched, dumbfounded, as Tsubaki followed a grinning Black Star into the classroom.

_Did she just…_ Maka was lost for words.

_Tsubaki… rest in peace._ Maka mourned. She chose a seat next to the doomed girl and her self-centered, newly acquainted male partner. Maka's lamenting, however, was soon forgotten when she heard a soft voice next to her.

"Can I sit here?" Maka turned. It was Jacqueline.

"Of course you can!" Maka exclaimed. "You're Jacqueline, right?" Jacqueline sat down, surprised.

"Why yes," she said, confused.

"I'm Maka!"

"Oh! You're the Death Scythe's daughter!" Jacqueline exclaimed. Before they could continue, however, the bells rang and a man entered the room and spoke.

"Alright, everyone. My name is Sid. I will be your-"

The door burst open and that good for nothing father waltzed in.

"Makaaaaaa!" he exclaimed.

"What are you doing here?" Maka asked, disgusted.

"Didn't Maka say? If Papa wanted to talk to Maka, then he had to do it in person, so here I am!" her father replied. "Maka! I love you! Good luck on your first day of school!"

"Go away, Papa. I'm going to make the world's strongest Death Scythe and shut you up for good!" Maka replied angrily.

"I'll be supporting you!" her father cried enthusiastically. He gave her two thumbs up.

"Umm…" Sid looked between the two.

"Papa will stop bothering you now! A Death Scythe is very busy, after all!" her father said, heading towards the door. "Study hard and become a strong meister, Maka!" He blew her a goodbye kiss, and then left. Maka was fuming. Sid stood in the middle of the room, confused, for a good ten seconds.

"Uh... I guess it is time to introduce the EAT class," he said uncertainly.

* * *

The bells finally rang. Soul had had enough of the teacher droning on about their schedule and about partnership. Only one thing occupied his mind.

_Death Scythe._ He thought it over. _World's strongest Death Scythe._ Soul grinned.

_Sounds cool._ He leaned back on his chair and looked up at the girl who had said the words. She sat one row above him. So she was the Death Scythe's daughter. What was her name again? Maka. Soul remembered because it sounded Japanese. Maka was a weird girl, and she was flat-chested too, but…

_World's strongest Death Scythe._

Maka was already leaving, engrossed in a conversation with a black-haired girl. Soul followed her quickly.

"Maka! Hey Maka!" Soul called. The girls turned.

"You're a meister, aren't you? I'm Soul Eater, and I'm going to be the world's strongest Death Scythe. Want to partner up?" Soul asked, flashing the coolest smile he could muster. Maka looked at him for a moment, surprised. Then she turned around and said one word.

"No."

* * *

"That was kinda mean," Jackie said, after the boy had left.

"I know," Maka said with a hint of guilt. "I just don't have interest in him, or any male partners." Jackie regarded her face for a moment.

"Well, then, see you at lunch," she said, then left. Maka stood for a moment and thought back on what she had said. Should she have been nicer? No. She didn't want to get involved with any men. They were bound to bring trouble. That guy especially. His sharp-toothed smile sent shivers down her back.

"Heh, heh, heh…" someone chuckled. Maka broke out of her train of thought and looked up. In her reminiscing, she had wandered off into the maze of side hallways. Two boys stood in her way.

"Maka Albarn," said the first. He had sandy hair and a snobbish face.

"We have business with you," said the other one. He had a fat face. Ugly and pig-like.

"You see, your father has been flirting with our girlfriends," said the sandy-haired one. "And we don't like that."

_Not again._ Maka thought angrily.

"So we're going to teach him a lesson," the other one continued. The two boys shared an identical, sadistic grin that stretched as wide as the Cheshire Cat's. Maka's heart sped up. The snobbish boy transformed into a metal club. They were meister and weapon. And they didn't seem friendly.

"We're going to beat you up," the fat one said.

"If the Death Scythe messes with our women, we'll mess with his," the club continued gleefully. Maka's eyes narrowed, and she wielded her book. She was considering escaping, seeing the fat build of the meister, when he swung the club. Maka deflected the blow, but the force of it jarred her whole body. These two really wanted to hurt her. The fat boy swung the club at Maka's face. Maka dodged the attack and brought her book heavily down on the boy's head. He squealed in pain. The club came around again. Maka blocked it, but it knocked her book out of her hand. The fight was over. The fat boy knocked Maka to the ground. She cried out in pain. The club fell heavily on her back, not enough to break but enough to bruise. Maka endured the pain with gritted teeth and covered her head with her arms as the beating continued. She began to lose consciousness.

"This'll teach him good!" one of them said. Maka heard their laughter, although it seemed distant and muffled. On her head, on her back, the blows rained down. Only when the bells rang did they leave her there, miserable and disoriented. But, through all the pain that she felt now, she only thought of one thing.

_Papa, I hate you.  
_

* * *

Soul poked at his lunch with his fork sullenly. Maka had declined his offer. She didn't even consider it. One look and then one word. Boom. Done. Not cool at all. Soul sighed and looked up at the lunchroom filled with conversing people. There was bound to be someone besides Maka who could make him the world's strongest Death Scythe, right? But the thought kept nagging him. She was the daughter of the current Death Scythe. She had such a confident look in her eye when she said those words.

_I'm going to make the world's strongest Death Scythe._

No fear. No backing down. Soul liked that. It was cool.

"Hey, why do you have your suitcase with you?"

Soul looked up. A grinning, blue-haired boy had approached him.

"I just got here. I haven't found a place to put it yet," Soul answered. The blue-haired boy laughed.

"Well, I'll just borrow it for a second!" he said.

"Hey! What are you-"

The blue-haired boy threw the suitcase on the table and leapt on top of it like it was a pedestal.

"Listen up and remember it well, all of you!" he shouted. "My name is Black Star and I'm going to surpass god someday! You just watch and wait! I'm going to become the strongest man in the world!"

"Hey, get off my suitcase!" Soul shouted. The boy leapt down and grinned at him.

"You should be honored that it was used as a pedestal by a god like me," he said, and then walked away, laughing. A timid-looking girl approached Soul quickly.

"I'm really sorry about that," she said shyly. "He's just… a little bit self-centered, that's all."

"Yeah, well tell him not to step on other people's stuff," Soul grumbled.

"A-alright. I'm really sorry," the girl said. She hesitated for a moment, and then quickly ran after the blue-haired boy. Soul watched them go.

_World's strongest, huh?_ he thought, and then smiled. It still sounded cooler when Maka said it.

* * *

**Okay, yeah, weird dropoff for the end of the first chapter, but whatever. Gotta love it when Soul receives his first Maka Chop ever. I mean, they haven't even MET yet, and they're already starting lifelong habits. XD**

**Anyways, please R&R, although I'm new here and I don't even know what that stands for. Could someone please tell me? XD**


	2. Soul and Maka's Past Part II

**_"Ore no namae ga Soul Eater. Ore wa, saikyo no Death Scythe ni naru!"_ **

**SOUL IS SO BADAAAAASS!**

**Anyways. sorry for the long wait guys. I forgot to mention that I'll be uploading a chapter every three or four days. Yes, that's guaranteed... at least until chapter 10. :P**

**I'm working on chapter 11 right now while you guys are still stuck on chapter 2. Mwuahahahaha. But I'm doing this to waylay any wait time that may happen when I run into a writer's block. You guys won't have to suffer waiting because the next chapter will already be ready to upload. :) Hopefully, by the time you guys catch up to my sluggish pace, I'll be nearing the end of this fanfic. With that said...**

**Disclaimer: NEWSFLASH! I don't own Soul Eater.**

* * *

Chapter 2: Soul and Maka's Past Part II

* * *

"Here you are, dear," the landlady said. "If you need anything, just ask."

"Thank you, ma'am," Soul replied, and then ventured into the apartment he had just rented. It was a rather cozy apartment, with a spacious living room, a neat kitchen, a tidy bathroom, and two bedrooms.

Wait.

Two bedrooms? Why would there be two bedrooms? He was living alone. Soul went down the hallway and knocked on the landlady's door.

"Ma'am?" he called. The door opened and the small old lady appeared.

"Yes dear?" she asked warmly.

"My apartment has two bedrooms. Do you have any one-bedroom apartments available? I would like a one-bedroom apartment," Soul inquired. The landlady looked surprised.

"What a strange thing you ask of!" she remarked. "Let me see." She shuffled back into her room. After a minute, she came back out.

"I am sorry, dear. The only one-bedroom apartment I have is occupied," she said.

"Really? I guess I'll look elsewhere then, ma'am," Soul said. He turned to leave.

"Wait!" the landlady cried. "You won't find any available one-bedroom apartments in Death City, and even if you do, they will cost more than the two-bedroom apartments."

"Why is that?" Soul asked.

"Hmm, it seems that you have not been paired yet," the landlady said. "Well, you'll find out soon enough. Trust me." She smiled. Soul regarded her kind face for a moment.

"Alright, then. I'll stay here."

* * *

Maka opened the door to her house. The first thing she heard was the shouting.

As usual.

She sighed and entered the dining room, where her mother was shouting at her father.

"I'm home," Maka called.

"Yes, welcome home, dear," her mother replied shortly. "Now, why do I have to keep telling you this, Spirit?!"

Maka helped herself to their first-aid kit and then went up to her room, leaving her shouting parents to their own devices. She stopped halfway up the stairs.

_They didn't even look at me._ Maka thought. Anger filled her up. It boiled within her.

_They didn't even notice._ She clenched her fists.

_I hate you, Papa._

She released her anger all at once by slamming the wall next to her. She let out her breath. It was always like this. She hated this life. Her amazing mother was always occupied with yelling at her good for nothing father. She rarely had any room for her daughter. Oh, they spent time together sometimes.

Sometimes.

But Maka had to look out for herself on her own. No one to trust. No one to talk to. Maka sighed again and wished she could leave this god-forsaken place.

* * *

It was Soul's second day at the Demon Weapon Meister Academy.

"Maka, what happened?!" a voice exclaimed.

Soul looked up from where he was sitting. Maka had a bandage on her left cheek and she seemed like every movement hurt her. The one who had exclaimed was the black-haired girl sitting next to her.

"Oh this?" Maka said, pointing to her face. She smiled that fake smile of hers. "I, uh, fell down the stairs of the Academy!"

"Those stairs up front?" the black-haired girl asked. "Oh man, that must've hurt."

"Yeah, a lot," Maka said and tried to smile again. "But I'm fine now. Really!"

"No wonder you weren't at lunch yesterday," the black-haired girl said. "But what were you doing out there?"

"Oh, I, uh… forgot that I left something back at home and went to get it!" Maka said quickly. Soul gazed at her for a moment, and then looked away.

Those stairs? There was no way a girl like her would make such a silly mistake.

The bells rang, and in walked Sid.

"Alright, then. It is time to start class," he said. Soul sighed. His eyelids were already getting heavy.

* * *

Class ended, and Maka left Jacqueline quickly. She did not want to talk to her at the moment. She did not want to remember what happened yesterday. Instead, she thought back on what Sid had said.

The new permanent schedule would start next week, and they had to get their gym uniforms before then. Maka sighed at the thought of the new schedule. Calisthenics in the mornings until noon. Then studying and class time after lunch. This was going to be a difficult road.

_But I'm going to work hard and make the world's strongest Death Scythe!_ Maka thought.

_And Papa can stop bothering me for the rest of his life._

The goal steeled her mind. A tough training regime was only part of the struggles she was going to have to overcome. She was also going to need a good partner. Jacqueline was a good choice. She was both strong and hardworking.

_I'll ask her to be my partner tomorrow._ Maka thought. Her glum mood was brightened by the thought, and she smiled to herself.

"What are you smiling about, Maka?" She looked up and took a sharp breath. It was the two boys from yesterday. Maka had wandered off into the secluded hallways again.

"Your father didn't learn his lesson," the snobbish boy sneered. Maka turned and ran.

"Hey!" she heard them shout. Then, something solid slammed into her back. It hit her on a bruised spot. Maka cried out and fell down.

"That was close," said the club that had hit her.

The fat pig lumbered towards Maka and picked up his weapon. Maka gripped her back in pain and tried to crawl away. A heavy foot stepped on her back, stopping her. Maka cried out again. Another bruised spot. She turned to face her abusers, angry at her own weakness. The fat pig grinned sadistically. The club fell. Maka winced, but the blow did not land. She heard a sharp clang. Maka looked up. The clumsy club had been stopped by a black and red blade, slender and deadly.

"Fell down the stairs my foot. Who are you trying to fool, dumbass?" said the deep voice. "These two beat you up, didn't they?"

It was the white-haired boy with crimson eyes. The one that had invited her to be partners.

"What are you doing here?" Maka asked.

"We came from the same class and we are headed towards the same destination," was the reply. "Of course we would be taking the same path."

"Who are you?" the pig demanded.

"Does it matter?" the white-haired boy replied coolly. The pig's eyes narrowed.

"Outta the way."

"Not happening."

The pig glared at the white-haired boy, who only flashed a sharp-toothed smile in return.

"Alright, fine. We'll beat you up first," the fat boy said.

The fight that followed was over in a matter of seconds. The upperclassman swung his club. The sudden movement caught the white-haired boy off-guard, but he managed to deflect it with his blade. He then made a stab at the pig's throat. The fat boy deflected it, knocking the blade hand aside. He then swung upwards, hitting the white-haired boy in the chin. The boy fell back, dazed. The weapon and meister laughed.

"So he was just all talk after all!" the club said.

_That idiot. He should have just dodged the blow._ But Maka had no time to be spiteful, for the pig was stepping towards her, swinging his club.

"Wait."

The pig stopped and turned. The white-haired boy had managed himself back onto his feet.

"I'm not done yet," he breathed. The fat boy grew angry. He viciously swung the club, hitting the white-haired boy in the head and throwing him against the wall.

"That'll teach you," the pig spat. Maka tried to crawl away again. The pig brought his club down, but it was blocked again by the black and red blade.

"You!" the pig cried. "Why won't you stay down?"

Another blow, and the white-haired boy fell, but he staggered to his feet again.

_Why?_ Maka thought. _You're only hurting yourself!_ _Just stay down!_

Maka sat there in despair, but the cycle continued. The club would knock him over, but he would get back up, and the pair of bullies would get angrier and angrier. Each blow added to Maka's guilt. The boy was getting beaten up for her. Her weakness was his pain. Bruised and battered, the demon scythe continued to stand back up.

At last, the bells rang.

"Heh," the bloodied boy breathed. "I win."

The two bullies were furious. They knocked him over one last time and then left, disgusted. Maka sat there, untouched.

"Why?" she asked. "Why would you protect me?"

The white-haired boy smiled meekly where he lay, despite the pain he must be experiencing.

"It's uncool for a guy like me to stand around and watch a girl get beat up," he replied. "Besides. It's a weapon's duty to protect their meister."

"But I'm not your meister!"

The boy sat up and smirked, showing his shark teeth.

"But you and I share the same dream," he said. Maka's eyes widened.

_It's true._ She thought, but all she could manage was, "Dream? What kind of cheesy nonsense are you spouting?"

"Alright, fine! Goal! Whatever! It's the same thing!" the boy said angrily. He got up and began walking away.

"You should get going to lunch. I need to go to the infirmary."

Maka only sat there and watched his back get smaller and smaller.

* * *

"My, those are some serious wounds," the nurse said. She carefully taped bandages on his face.

"Oh, it's nothing," Soul replied quickly.

"What happened?" the nurse inquired.

"Oh, I, uh, fell down the stairs of the Academy." Soul immediately cursed himself for using that stupid, uncool story, but the nurse didn't seem doubtful.

"Those stairs up front?" the nurse's snake-like eyes widened. "Must have been quite a fall."

"Yeah… it was," Soul said, hoping she would buy it. The last bandage was put on.

"You have some bruises that I can't take care of. Don't move too much for a while," the nurse said. "You may put your shirt back on and go to class now."

"Thanks," Soul replied quickly, and then left.

* * *

When Maka entered her room, she sat in her chair, pulled her knees to her chest, and did not move from that position. She sat there like a solemn statue and thought about what that boy had said.

_You and I share the same dream._ She thought back on what had happened.

_My name is Soul Eater._ That was his name.

_Want to partner up?_ Maka sighed at the thought.

_Would he be a good choice? Is he trustworthy? _Maka pondered. _Wouldn't Jacqueline make a better partner?  
_

Maka made a frustrated noise as she contemplated. Soul was strong-willed. He didn't give up. He stood up again and again. And he did it for her. A stranger. Would Jacqueline do something like that? Is she as brave as Soul?

But then again, Soul was a guy. Just like Papa. Just like the rest. She didn't want a male partner. If she partnered with him, he would leave her sooner or later. He would leave her and go hang out with other girls.

_I'm going to be the world's strongest Death Scythe._

Maka pulled at her hair in frustration and looked at the clock. She had homework to do. She had to stop thinking about this.

_I'll pretend to cooperate and see how things turn out._ She decided. _If I don't like him, I can always just leave him._

* * *

The bells finally rang. Soul woke up and yawned. The bruises from yesterday's ordeal still hurt whenever he moved.

"Before you go, class, I would like for you to remember to look for partners," the teacher said. "If you don't have a partner by the end of the month, we will assign you to whoever's left. The Academy will be hosting its annual Freshmen's Ball tonight for meisters and weapons to meet and hang out together. Please do attend."

_Geez._ Soul thought. _It's only the third day of school. _

It wasn't cool to rush things. Besides, he couldn't think of any decent meisters, except Maka or Black Star, but Black Star was already paired. Soul looked up at the strong-willed girl sitting one row above him.

_World's strongest Death Scythe_.

She would be a good partner. But it seemed she was getting along quite well with that black-haired girl. They might already be partners. Soul sighed, picked his ragged body off the chair, and joined the flow of leaving people.

_I guess I'll have to look for someone else._ He thought downheartedly.

"Soul!" Soul stopped and turned, surprised. Maka caught up with him.

"I'll do it," she said with a smile. "I'll be your meister."

Soul was speechless. Bewildered. She actually wanted to be his partner? He searched her face. There was that fake smile again, and Soul's heart fell. He hated that fake smile. Couldn't she just smile for real? Just once? He looked at her eyes. The burning passion was gone.

"Really?" he asked slowly.

"Yeah!" the fake smile broadened. Soul looked at her distastefully. She wasn't being serious about this at all.

"What happened?" Soul asked.

"What?" she said. "I said I'll be your-"

"No, I don't mean that. Where did all that confidence go?" This was not the same girl who had stood up and said those words two days ago.

"What? What do you mean?" she asked, the smile now wiped from her face.

"You're not being truthful to me," Soul replied flatly.

"What?!" she cried angrily. "I am!"

"The Freshmen's Ball is tonight," Soul said, and turned. "If you're _fully_ committed to making me the world's strongest Death Scythe, then talk to me there."

Then he walked away, leaving the furious girl behind.

* * *

_What the hell is wrong with him?!_

Maka was mad. She was angry.

_I'm being nice to him and doing what he wants! And what does he do? He rejects the offer!  
_

Maka wanted to kick something. Anything. She stormed off in a fury, which made her bruises sting, but she didn't care.

_Fine! I don't want an idiot like him for a partner anyways!_ She thought. _In fact, I think I'll go ask Jacqueline to be my partner right now!_

She looked around. Jacqueline was nowhere in sight. Maka was lost again. For the third day in a row. She sighed in frustration. Those two upperclassmen had better not show up again-

"Heh… heh… heh…" Maka's heart leapt with fear. There they were. The boy with the snobbish face and the fat pig.

_Why won't they just leave me alone?!_

"Your knight isn't here to save you this time," the snobbish-faced one sneered. Maka gritted her teeth and spoke.

"He's not my-"

"Who's not here to save who?" asked a deep voice behind her.

Great. The last person in the world she wanted to see right now.

"Why did you follow me this time?" Maka asked furiously. Soul looked at her, surprised.

"And don't say it's because we're taking the same route, because I got lost!"

"Okay, okay, take it easy," the white-haired boy said. "I just forgot to tell you to talk to me after the ball is over, and not during."

Maka wanted to punch him.

"I don't want to be your partner!" she shouted.

"What? But I thought-"

"That was a lie! A lie! I was going to leave you if I didn't like you, but I don't like you already!"

"Geez, alright then."

"Enough with the dramatic chit-chat already," the fat pig said. His partner had already transformed into a club. "Are you two ready for a beating?" Soul and Maka turned to face him.

"There's only one way out of this, Maka," Soul said.

"Shut up," she replied.

"Come on. Let me see what you're capable of."

Maka was angry. She wanted to punch him. Give him a good book to the head.

But…

But he was right. There was only one way. Maka closed her eyes and held her hand out reluctantly. Soul took it and in a flash, Maka wielded a seven-foot long scythe with a deadly, razor-sharp blade. She regarded the weapon with wonder. It was as light as a feather.

"Just because we're doing this doesn't mean anything," Maka said. "I'm still not going to partner up with you."

"Fair enough," the scythe replied. "Survival first." Maka held the weapon firm and faced her opponent.

"You think that just because you've teamed up you can beat us?" the club sneered. "Stupid freshmen!" But his bravado was quickly lost when he was raised to block Maka's lightning fast attack.

"Ow!" he shouted.

"What? What's the matter?" the fat pig asked.

"That scythe hurts!" the club cried.

"How's that possible? You're a weapon!" the fat one said, but their conversation was cut short when Maka swung the scythe again. The pig raised his weapon just in time, and the club cried out again.

"Ow! Hey, that's not fair!" he said. Maka then unleashed a devastating flurry of blows that the pig could barely block. With each blow rang the club's cries of pain. The pig retreated, and Maka advanced. Another swing of the scythe, and the club was knocked to the side. Maka spun the scythe around and hit the pig in the chin with the bottom of the scythe. The fat boy flew backwards and landed heavily on his back.

"What's the matter? We were beating them when they were alone!" the club cried. The pig struggled to his feet. He picked up the club and desperately swung it at Maka. Maka ducked underneath the attack and brought the deadly blade towards the pig's body.

"Maka wait!" the scythe shouted. Maka stopped.

"I know. I'm not stupid," she said. The blade was only inches from the soft flesh. At last, the pig could take no more. He dropped the club, screamed, and ran away.

"Wait!" the club called, then transformed back into a snobbish boy and ran screaming after his partner. Maka let go of Soul and he transformed back into a human.

"Well, that went well," Soul said with a smile. "You were pretty cool."

Yes. That did go well. That was brilliant. _He_ was brilliant.

But…

"This still means nothing!" Maka said to him, and then turned quickly and left. Her face was burning.

"I'll be waiting by the piano," he called.

* * *

**CHEESY NONSENSE FTW! hahahaha. I think Soul was kinda OOC for a moment there, but it works. Sorry for the whole "third's a charm" cliche deal. It just popped into my mind at the time.**

**Anyways, any guesses who the nurse is? (It's kinda obvious. lol)**


	3. Soul and Maka's Past Part III

**And here it is! The the third chapter, and the conclusion of this segment of my fanfic- And oh boy is it good. Will Maka choose to partner with Soul? Gee, it's a mystery. XD **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater and I'm tired of repeating this every chapter.**

* * *

Chapter 3: Soul and Maka's Past Part III

* * *

Soul couldn't focus on his homework. The thought kept nagging at him.

_Will she come?_ He wondered as he sat in his room. _She will, won't she?_

Soul laughed at the thought. They didn't get along very well together. If they became partners, he would have to brace himself for lots of shouting. Soul looked over at his wardrobe where the black suit hung.

_Well, if she doesn't show up, then it just means she doesn't have it in her to make me the world's strongest Death Scythe._ Soul thought. He glanced at the clock. It was time to go.

* * *

Maka looked in the mirror. She was pleased.

"You look beautiful, dear," her mother said behind her.

"Thanks," Maka replied, smiling. It was one of the few times she could spend with her mother. They were preparing for the ball. Maka wore a beautiful black dress. The bruises on her face were gone too. They were magically removed by her mother's makeup. Maka stretched her mouth into a smile again. She looked lovely.

"Alright, it's time to go," her mother said.

"Okay!" Maka replied. Her father entered the room.

"Maka! You're looking so sexy!" he exclaimed.

"Don't use language like that, Spirit!" her mother shouted. Maka sighed.

"I'm sorry, Maka. I have some important business to attend to. You can wait in the car. I'll be right there," her mother said.

"Alright." Maka rolled her eyes and left her parents to their own devices.

* * *

WELCOME, FRESHMEN! The banner screamed. Soul sighed as he entered the brightly lit and crowded ballroom. He hated parties. They reminded him too much of home. Other students and some of their parents slowly trickled in. There was that black-haired girl who sat next to Maka, Black Star, his partner, and many others. Soul spotted the Death Scythe's red hair, and right behind him was Maka. Soul's heart skipped a beat.

Maka was stunning. She was beautiful. She wore a jet black strapless dress and matching arm-length gloves. She held her head high with authority that seemed to radiate like light from her body. The bruises on her face were gone.

She cast her sharp eyes around the room. They fell on him. Soul suddenly became aware of his own shabby appearance. The bruises on his face were clear as daylight and his unkempt hair was messy. Soul quickly turned away. His face felt hot.

The trickle of people slowly diminished as the room filled. A mirror sat on a stage towards the back of the room. The masked figure that Soul now knew as Lord Death appeared in it.

"Hello, new meisters and demon weapons," he said. "Welcome to the Demon Weapon Meister Academy's annual Freshmen's Ball! Okay, then, let the festivities begin!"

_That was short._ Soul thought. _Does this guy really run this place?_

He looked around. The musicians began playing soft jazz. The crowds flocked ravenously towards the food. Soul was pushed and shoved. The roar of the crowd was

deafening.

The lights-

The people-

The music-

Soul groaned. It was just like home. He made his way to the empty balcony overlooking the city. It was quieter here. The commotion of wealthy life seemed distant. Faded. Soul smiled and gazed at the stars. Here, in the clear desert sky, they glittered by the thousands. So beautiful, yet so tantalizingly far away…

"Hey."

Soul turned. A pretty girl had approached him.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. "Don't you want food?"

"No, I'm fine," Soul said quickly, and turned away.

"Aw, why not?" the girl asked.

"Not hungry," Soul replied. He looked around wearily. The last thing he needed now was for Maka to see him talking to someone else. But the girl persisted.

"Everybody has to eat, eventually," she said. Soul sighed, irritated. This girl wasn't going to leave anytime soon.

* * *

"Ooh, they have nice food here," Spirit said. He dug in ravenously at the fish on his plate. Maka looked away, disgusted. She hated raw fish. Some of the dressing landed near her arm on the white tablecloth.

"Maka! You should try some!"

"No way! I'm leaving," Maka said. She picked up her plate and stood up, looking for somewhere else to sit. She spotted Soul, talking with a cute girl on the balcony. The sight made her angry.

_That was fast._ Maka thought. _That was darn fast._

But as she watched, Soul squirmed and tried to get away from the girl. Finally, he said something to her and shooed her away. She became disappointed and left. Then Soul turned and leaned against the banisters, deep in thought.

Interesting.

It would be unusual for a guy to turn down an attractive girl like her. For a moment, Maka contemplated.

_What if we did become partners?_

She had an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach and decided she didn't want to eat anymore.

_Talk to me after the ball is over, and not during._

Maka looked disapprovingly at Soul.

_Why after? Why not during? Wait, why do I even care?!_

Maka sighed in frustration and turned away. She spotted Jacqueline and headed her way.

"Hey, Jackie!" Maka said, sitting down next to her friend.

"Oh hey, Maka!" Jacqueline replied. "The food's really great, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I've lost my appetite for some reason," Maka replied.

"Oh, that sucks."

"Yeah, but I don't mind." Maka smiled. "Say, Jacqueline, do you want to become a Death Scythe?"

"Hmm, I don't know," Jacqueline answered. "I mean, sure, that'd be nice, but ninety-nine souls and a witch soul? I'd be a mass murderer before I became one."

"You're right. I haven't thought about that," Maka said with a laugh. "But you're not actually the murderer. You're just the weapon."

"I guess you're right, but collecting that many souls just seems like a pain," Jacqueline sighed. "I'd rather just live a normal life."

"I see," Maka said, distracted. It would seem not everyone was as die-hard as her to make a Death Scythe.

Their conversation was interrupted when the lights dimmed. Maka looked around. The murmur of the crowd died down. Spotlights pointed towards the stage. A woman stood there, smiling. When the room fell silent at last, the woman closed her eyes and began to sing a slow, soft song. Her voice was beautiful, but the words were incoherent. Maka found herself lost in the slow tune. She was never one to understand music. She just sort of… felt it.

Maka's mind began to wander. Again, despite her best efforts, she thought of the white-haired boy and what he had said.

_My name is Soul Eater and I'm going to be the world's strongest Death Scythe. Want to partner up?_

World's strongest Death Scythe. Wasn't that her goal? Wasn't that what she wanted? Then her choice for a partner should be obvious. But then again, Soul was a guy. Just like those two bullies. Just like that pervert at the entrance ceremony. Just like Papa.

_It's uncool for a guy like me to stand around and watch a girl get beat up._

No. He was not like them. He was different. But could he still be trusted? Maka's train of thought was interrupted when she heard a familiar voice shout and the music came to a sudden halt.

"YAHOO!" Maka looked up in annoyance. Black Star swung down from a curtain.

"You all must be bored out of your skulls by now!" he shouted. "Don't worry! It's time for my show! Behold the great Black Star!" Several guards grabbed Black Star but he fought and kicked them away.

"Get off me! This is my performance!" he shouted. Maka's furious mother stepped forward, grabbed the boy with one hand, and threw him out the balcony. Soul jumped when he saw the blue-haired boy sail screaming over his head. Silence filled the room. Then a faint crash was heard. Tsubaki quickly hurried towards the doors. Maka's mother smiled, brushed some invisible specks of dust off her dress, and sat back down.

"Now that that's settled, let's continue!" she said sweetly. The room stared at her.

"Well, go on, now!" The music started up again, slowly and uncertainly. Maka smiled. Her mother was so amazing. Maka dreamed of becoming just as strong as her mother one day. No. Even stronger. Maka was going to make the world's strongest Death Scythe._  
_

_My name is Soul Eater and I'm going to be the world's strongest Death Scythe._

Maka cringed when the thought suddenly invaded her mind. She looked over at Soul. He was peering over the railings at where Black Star must have fallen.

_Is he really all that bad?_ Maka thought. _He's not like the others._

She frowned as she turned the thought over and over in her mind. She was still deep in thought when the song ended and the crowd clapped. She barely noticed when the party closed and her parents asked her to come with them.

"Alright, I'm coming," she said.

_You and I share the same dream._

Maka looked over at Soul again, who was still leaning against the banisters. She remembered how it felt when she wielded the scythe. She remembered how much power she held.

_Want to partner up?_

"Maka!" her mother called. "Let's go! It's getting late!"

"Oh, sorry!" Maka said quickly, and then hurried after her parents. They left the ballroom and followed crowds of tired and stuffed people.

_I'll be waiting by the piano._

* * *

The janitor finished cleaning at last. Whistling, he turned off the lights and left the room. Darkness filled the open expanse. Only a rectangle of moonlight spilling from the balcony onto the floor showed any signs of illumination. Nothing stirred in the room. Everything was perfectly quiet.

From behind an embroidered curtain, Soul slid out and sighed. He had been standing still for far too long. Quietly, he made his way to the darkness at the back of the room. There, he fumbled about until he found the solid, polished, wooden bench. He sat down carefully and then caressed the piano keys in front of him. There, he sat and waited. He waited as the moon crept its way across the sky. He waited as the bells struck nine, and then ten. He waited until he fell asleep and dreamt of flying. He dreamed of flying free from all the burdens of life and-

A sound woke him up. Soul sat up and listened. The church bells had struck twelve.

She had not come.

* * *

Maka's parents had driven her home. She was going up the stairs when she heard the church bells strike twelve. Maka stopped her ascent and thought for a moment.

_Was it the right thing to do?_ She wondered. She imagined the dark ballroom, empty save for one soul. She felt a pang of guilt for leaving him there.

_Well, whatever._ Maka thought, and continued up the stairs.

* * *

Soul heard the doors open. He smiled.

"I thought you would never come," he said. Her footsteps headed towards him.

"I was about to give up and go home in another minute," Soul continued. The footsteps came closer. Then, like a beautiful ghost, she stepped into the rectangle of moonlight at the center of the room.

"My parents drove me home," she said. "I had to walk all the way back."

"Then this means you've made your decision?"

"No."

Soul frowned.

"Then why did you come?"

"To make my decision."

* * *

From the shadows came a quiet chuckle.

"Fair enough," he said. Then,

"This... is me."

All at once, a burst of sound resonated from the corner of the room where he sat. Maka jumped and took a sharp breath. Following the deafening chord, an enchanting tune slowly drifted around her like a blanket. It was unlike anything she had ever heard before- both beautiful and sinister at the same time.

As she listened, she was no longer standing in the ballroom, but in a dark meadow illuminated only by the moon and stars. She looked up at the sky, and beheld the brilliant expanse of beauty before her. The innumerable stars glittered and leapt like fairies in a mystical dance, lighting the sky up in a dazzling display.

_Come._ They beckoned. _Dance with us._

And she wanted to join them. She wanted to dance in the sky with them. And as she yearned, golden wings of light appeared from her back and lifted her up.

_Yes!_ She thought. _I'm coming!_

The fairies called for her, twinkling hands reached for her to dance with them. They beckoned her to be free with them. Abruptly, her ascent was stopped by a latticework of metal. She cried out, for she was in a cage rooted to the ground. She fell back down and looked around her. The metal prison yielded no way out, except a small door. She shook at it, but it would not budge. The fairies continued to beckon. She wanted to dance with them too, but the cage did not let her. She was trapped.

Finally, she looked away, and was enlightened, for there was beauty here, too. The meadow glittered with many opalescent flowers that reflected the sky above. She bent down to pick one up, but it crumbled away at her touch. The flowers were made of dust and lost dreams. All around, inside the cage, the flowers withered and disappeared.

And despair filled her heart. She wanted to get out. She wanted to get out! No more of these fake flowers! No more! She wanted to fly free! She wanted to be free with the stars! All she had to do was spread her wings!

She called for help. And help came. A figure appeared outside the cage. Their face was shrouded in darkness, but in their hand glittered a key. As she watched, the figure inserted the key into the lock and the door swung open. She gleefully ran towards the door, but before she could reach it, the cage vanished. The stars winked out. The meadow disappeared. The figure slid away and became one with the darkness.

The song had ended.

* * *

Soul lifted his finger from the last key and smiled at the look on her face.

"Do you understand?" he asked softly. "Are you prepared?"

The moon's travel across the sky had brought the rectangle of light so that it shone on both of them. She stood for a moment, still lost, and then regained her composure. In a few quick strides she was standing behind him.

* * *

Maka did understand. She was not the one trapped in the cage.

Soul was.

_I'll be your key, Soul._ Maka thought. But the key would come at a price.

"I hate men. I don't trust them either," she declared. The boy stiffened. Maka smiled and her voice became softer.

"But I'm going to make the world's strongest Death Scythe. If you can't keep up, I'm leaving you behind."

* * *

Soul smiled with relief and spoke.

"Well said."

He stood and turned to face her. He offered his hand. She smiled and took it. And Soul felt a growing satisfaction, because this time, at last, her smile was genuine.

* * *

"Shall we go for a formal test run, then?" Soul invited.

"What do you mean?" Maka asked. As an answer, Soul transformed and Maka once more wielded a deadly scythe.

"Cut apart that piano," Soul ordered.

"What? Why?"

"Just do it. It'll seal the contract. Make it official. No turning back."

"But don't you like pianos?"

"Nah. They remind me too much of home. Come on, let's do it."

"Um, okay."

Maka gripped the scythe firmly and then swung it. The blade passed through the wood without a stop. The strings within snapped with sickening noises. The blade pulled free and the piano groaned and teetered. One by one, keys began to fall out of the polished wood structure. Cracks ran along its sides.

At last, the piano collapsed in on itself, with parts flooding out and splinters flying everywhere. The sound it made resonated across the entire Academy, spilling through the empty hallways and echoing back from the deepest corners. Maka quickly shielded her face from the splinters. When her hearing had returned, Soul was laughing.

"That was awesome!" he cried.

"Wait, were we even allowed to do this?" Maka asked.

"Nope. But that sure was cool, wasn't it?"

"What?! How can you be so reckless?!"

"What?! You're the reckless one for partnering with me before knowing my personality!"

"I thought I _did_ know your personality!"

"Well, I guess you didn't know me well enough."

"Argh! I'm regretting this already!"

* * *

**And so, the adventures of Soul and Maka begin. Aren't they off to a wonderful start? XD. I hope Soul wasn't _too_ OOC in that last scene, where he changed from the boy who pulls Maka's skirt up in an attempt to get information out of a zombie to a super badass gentleman for about five minutes. I'm pretty ****sure that Jackie was OOC for these three chapters, although I don't really know much about her personality anyways.**

**Here's an interesting fact: If you've read the manga, then you should know that at one point, Soul asked Maka to pick a note on the keyboard, and she picked G. Now, if you have watched the anime, you will have heard Soul play the piano at the BREW tempest ark and again during their fight with Asura. Now that piece is played in F# minor. I find it interesting that their melodies are placed snugly next to each other, but if you tried playing a piece with them, it would come out quite strange indeed.**

**I hope you got the symbolism in the song as well as the destruction of the piano. Hopefully, I didn't overdo it. XD The cage was supposed to be Soul's home or something like that. The stars were his dreams, and the flowers were the expectations that he failed to accomplish for his parents. When they cut apart the piano, they were letting go of the past. There was no turning back. :)**

**Anyways, this officially concludes the one-shot segment of this fanfic. Now, it's time for their adventures at DWMA!**


	4. Cleaning Things Up

**Here I am again! First chapter with them as partners! It's a pretty rough start. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater.**

* * *

Chapter 4: Cleaning Things Up

* * *

"Umm… Soul, was it?"

Maka yawned, picked her head up, and looked over to where Soul was sitting next to her. Jacqueline had walked up and spoken to him.

"Yeah?" Soul replied.

"This is my seat," Jacqueline said uncertainly. Soul's eyes widened.

"Oh! Right," he said. He looked at Maka for a moment, and then got up and returned to his original seat. Jacqueline sat down.

"I wonder why he sat in my seat," she said to herself. "Hey, Maka. I've been wanting to ask you something."

"What is it?" Maka yawned. She was tired and moody from staying up last night. She wasn't the type to sleep in class, but class hadn't started yet…

"Well… Um… Do you want to be my meister?" Jacqueline asked. Maka slammed her head on the desk. She was too tired to facepalm.

"Maka? What's wrong?" Jacqueline exclaimed. Maka's head shot up.

"Why didn't you ask me yesterday!?" she cried.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I'm already partners with Soul!" Maka sobbed, pointing at the white-haired boy sitting one row below them. Jacqueline's eyes widened. Maka buried her face in her arms on the desk. She couldn't believe that such a chance slipped by.

"Oh, so that's why Soul was sitting next to you!" Jacqueline said as realization hit her. "Sorry about earlier. I should move, shouldn't I?"

"No, it's fine-" Maka said, looking up. But Jacqueline had already walked down to Soul's seat. Maka heard him grumble again. A couple of seconds later, he sat down next to her, adopted a similar position, and began to sleep.

_He must be tired too._ Maka thought. She let her head fall back down to the desk. Her eyelids were getting heavy. The bells rang, and Maka suddenly became alert.

Sleep time was over.

"Soul!" Maka said, looking over to her newly acquainted partner.

No response.

"Soul!" she said again, nudging his shoulder.

He didn't reply.

"Maka Chop!"

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Soul grumbled as he brought his head up. He yawned, showing his rows of shark teeth.

"No sleeping in class!" Maka shouted.

"What? But…"

"No buts! You're going to become the world's strongest Death Scythe, right?!"

"Alright, alright, geez. You didn't have to hit me, though."

"I called for you twice!"

"Oh really? Sorry, I didn't hear." Maka hit him again.

"Ow! That friggin' hurts! Okay, I get it! No sleeping in class!" Maka harrumphed and looked away. She couldn't believe she partnered with a guy, much less this good for nothing lazy idiot. Sid walked into the classroom and Soul's cries were cut short.

"Welcome, EAT class, to the fourth day of school," his voice droned. "Ah, wait. Before I start, Maka, you've been called to Lord Death's room."

Questions instantly arose in Maka's mind.

_Lord Death's room. I wonder what it's about._ She thought as she stood up.

"Don't worry about class. You've been exempt from it," Sid reassured her. "Wait, where are you going?" This was addressed at Soul, who had stood up as well.

"She's my meister. I go where she goes," Soul replied shortly, daring Sid to argue, but Sid only nodded.

"Alright, you may go too," he said. Maka was surprised. She had expected that Soul would rather stay and sleep unattended than to follow her around.

"You didn't have to do that," Maka said to Soul as they stepped outside the classroom.

"You're my meister. Of course I'll follow you wherever you go," Soul said, then smirked. "Besides, I get to skip that boring class."

"Oh, so that was the real reason behind all that bravado."

"Hey, you know you wanted to skip that class too! Don't lie!"

"I would never want to skip class!"

"What? You are one messed up bookworm, you know tha- OW!"

"I can't believe this! Jacqueline asked me to be her partner today! Today! I shouldn't have walked all the way back last night just to make that stupid decision!"

"That wasn't a stupid decision! I'm going to become the world's strongest Death Scythe! Isn't that what you wanted? And quit swinging that book around!"

"Argh! I never should have partnered with you!"

Maka hit him again and stormed off.

"Geez. My head's gonna crack open by the time I become a Death Scythe," her weapon muttered as he followed behind her. But his words had hit home.

_I'm going to become the world's strongest Death Scythe! Isn't that what you wanted?_

As her temper lessened, Maka reminded herself of their goal, and how that was the reason she was putting up with this guy. Guilt suddenly invaded her conscience. She owed Soul an apology for that false accusation earlier. Who would rather follow her on an errand instead of sleeping in class? He was following her for her sake, and she ended up hitting him because of it. Maka looked at the book in her hand.

_I can be so mean, sometimes._ she thought shamefully. She stopped and turned around. Soul took an involuntary step back, preparing for another assault.

"Soul… I…" The words stuck in her throat. Maka took a deep breath, summoning up her courage.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she finally said. Soul looked bewildered. Then he relaxed and smiled, showing those rows of shark teeth.

"Hey, don't sweat it. It's cool," he said cheerfully. "If we don't cooperate, then I'll never become a Death Scythe, right?"

Maka smiled with relief when she knew she was forgiven. Then Soul's mood changed. He shifted on his feet uneasily and cast his eyes downwards.

"And… about that… I'm sorry too… for calling you a weird bookworm," he said, unable to meet her eyes. His face had turned a light shade of red. This time, it was Maka's turn to be surprised. She hadn't expected an apology in return. She smiled and looked at her partner with a newfound respect.

"No, it's fine. I got my revenge when I hit you," she giggled, then turned and started walking again. Soul followed.

_I guess there's still a lot I don't know about him._ Maka thought with a smile.

* * *

Soul stole a glance at his meister as she walked next to him. She was smiling to herself, lost in her thoughts. Soul rubbed his bruised head.

_What a weird girl._ He thought with a frown. _I feel sorry for whoever has to live with her._

They reached the door to the Death Room. It was an unwelcoming door, plastered with strange decorations and a three-toothed skull adorning the top. Soul pulled the brass knocker and the door swung open. The room they entered was unlike anything Soul had ever seen. They were on a pathway overhung by red Oriental arches, except the undersides of every arch had razor sharp blades. The walls were invisible, or maybe they weren't there? Surrounding them was an image of a sky, except it was a weird shade of blue. To either side of them lay fields of tombstones. At the end of the walkway was a circular platform with a tall, majestic mirror standing at its center.

_Are we even inside the school anymore?_ Soul wondered as he took the sight in.

Then he saw them. Maka must have seen them too, because Soul heard her take a sharp breath.

There they were.

First, there was her father, standing next to the mirror. Right next to him were those two bullies that had attacked them.

_This can't be good._ Soul thought. Lord Death appeared within the mirror and waved at Maka.

"Oh hey, Maka!" he called cheerfully. "It's nice of you to join us now!"

Soul and Maka walked towards the platform suspiciously. Soul glared at the two boys and they glared back. When they reached the platform, Maka's father spoke up first.

"Maka, no matter what you did, I still love you!" he said. Soul snickered. Maka gave him a deathly look. She probably would've hit him too, had they not been in this room. Lord Death spoke, and they immediately turned their attention to him.

"Maka," he said. "While you _are_ an excellent student, you didn't have to go out of your way just to prove that."

"What do you mean?" Maka asked, confused.

"I mean, fights occur in this school all the time, but you didn't have to try and kill this poor boy here," Lord Death said, gesturing to the fat pig. He sneered at her.

"What? We didn't try to kill them," Maka said. She was still confused, but Soul realized what was going on. Those two must have told Lord Death about their fight, and they probably twisted the facts around, too.

"She tried to kill me!" the pig screamed.

"Hey! You were the ones who attacked her first!" Soul shouted back. Lord Death spoke and they immediately quieted down again.

"And who are you?" he asked Soul.

"He's her weapon!" the pig squealed. "He was helping her! Don't listen to a word he says!"

"Hey, shut up!" Soul shouted. He was angry. This bastard had the nerve of framing Maka after she spared his life? After all that they did to her?

"Don't listen to him! They attacked me and tried to kill me!" the pig spewed spittle from his mouth as he spoke.

"She _spared_ your life, you asshole! You should be glad you're alive right now!"

"Soul!" This was accompanied by a sharp pain at the top of his head.

"Ow…" he said meekly as he looked over at Maka. "What the hell was that for?"

Maka was angry, and when she spoke, she did it through her gritted teeth.

"I'm just as mad as you are, Soul," she said in a dangerous tone. "But we won't get anywhere just by shouting."

Then she turned to face the mirror and spoke in a calmer voice.

"Lord Death, I am very sorry for Soul's outburst here, and if you will let me, I can explain everything that happened," she said solemnly.

"Don't listen to her!" the pig cried again. "She's a liar!"

"Settle down," Lord Death said, and this time, the cheerfulness was gone from his voice. "We listened to your story. Now we shall listen to hers."

"Thank you, Lord Death," Maka said. The pig opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by Soul's glare. Then Maka recounted what had happened. As she talked about their first encounter, Soul saw her father tense up. Soul himself felt a rage within him as Maka described her first beating. The two bullies grew paler by the second, and when Maka finished, the pig cried out again.

"It's all a lie! That's not what happened!" he sputtered.

"We have proof," Soul said. He pointed to the bruises on his and Maka's faces.

"What… but Maka… I thought you said you fell down the stairs," Maka's father said, horrified. For a moment, hope flashed across the two bullies' faces, but any trace of it was soon wiped away.

"I lied, Papa," Maka said bluntly. Then she took off her coat, turned, and lifted her shirt to her chest. Soul felt an incoming nosebleed, but it was suppressed when he saw her back. Soul cursed under his breath.

"I didn't get these from falling down the stairs," Maka said. The pair of bullies was beyond pale now. They were a shade of color on par with Soul's hair. Lord Death turned to face them, who were now shivering under his daunting gaze.

"I think we know who the real liars are now," the grim reaper said, but it wasn't him they should be afraid of.

"You… You hurt my Maka," a certain red haired man spoke. The restrained fury in his voice sent shivers down Soul's back. The man cast a furious eye towards the mirror. The figure in it gave him a cheerful thumbs up.

The two boys' screams could probably be heard throughout DWMA.

"One last question, Maka," Lord Death said cheerfully as a chorus of agonizing cries echoed around them.

"What is it?" Maka asked as she put her coat back on.

"Why didn't you tell us this sooner?" Soul looked over at Maka, because he was wondering the same thing. She was taken back by the question for a moment. Then she hung her head, and Soul could see sadness in her eyes.

"I'm not sure. I think… it's because I was just so mad at my parents for not noticing that their daughter was injured," she said softly. "And when they finally did, it was after Soul and I beat those two. I was already satisfied."

_Her parents didn't even notice she was injured?_ Soul thought. _What kind of horrid upbringing did she have?_

Memories of his own childhood suddenly appeared in his mind. Memories of sharp pain on the backs of his hands. Soul quickly shook those thoughts aside and returned to the present. Lord Death nodded at Maka.

"I understand," he said. "You may go now."

"Thank you," Maka said, and then turned to leave. Soul followed her quickly.

"You have one hell of a father," Soul said as the cries continued to be heard even after they had left the Death Room. Maka shot him a glare.

"I hate my father. All he ever does is womanize," she said. "He was the reason they attacked me in the first place. I can't believe someone like him can become a Death Scythe. It's only thanks to my mother."

"Oh," Soul said awkwardly. They walked in silence for a moment. Then, Soul spoke up again.

"Well, I guess that means you have one hell of a mother," he said. He thought she might get angry again, and cursed himself for making her feel bad. But she didn't. She did the opposite, in fact.

"Yeah. She _is_ amazing," Maka said with a smile. "She was the one who threw Black Star over your head." Soul's eyes widened.

"Oh! So that's what happened…" he said.

"Yup," Maka giggled. "You should meet her sometime."

Soul pictured an older version of Maka, except angrier and capable of mercilessly throwing boys out twenty-story towers.

"Nah, I think I'll pass," he said. After another minute of walking, they reached their classroom. Then it hit him.

"Hey, wait a minute, Maka," Soul said as she was about to open the door.

"What is it?" she asked with a quizzical look on her face.

"The teacher said we were exempt from class," Soul said with a grin. "That means we don't have to go! Let's just skip it!"

"Not happening," Maka declared, then grabbed him by the arm and dragged him in with her.

"No! I don't want to go back!" Soul cried, but it was to no avail.

* * *

**Mwuahaha... Soul will learn the hard way about how to be Maka's weapon. **

_**I feel sorry for whoever has to live with**_** _her._ Hahaha Dramatic irony at its finest. XD**

**Anyways, please review. It makes me happy to see reviews. :)**


	5. Turmoil

**Hello, everybody! Here's the fifth chapter! And bad news. You guys are on chapter 5 while i'm still stuck on chapter 11. XD I've barely moved forward, cuz writer's block is giving me a hard time. Hopefully, I'll think of something before you guys catch up. lol**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Atsushi Okubo-i mean... Soul Eater.**

* * *

Chapter 5: Turmoil

* * *

Soul sighed as he settled down in his room to do homework. He couldn't believe that Maka would possibly want to go back to class. How could _anyone_ want to go back to that boring class? To make matters worse, she forced him to stay awake the whole entire time, despite the fact that both of them had very little sleep the night before.

_I guess this is what it takes to become the world's strongest Death Scythe._ Soul thought and sighed again. A knock was heard at his door.

"I'm coming," Soul called, wondering who it could be. He opened the door and then stood completely dumbfounded by what he saw.

"Maka? What are you doing here? And what's with all those suitcases?" he asked. Maka didn't bother answering. She just stepped past Soul and into his apartment.

"You picked a nice apartment," she noted. "And you kept it surprisingly clean, too."

"Wait, what's going on? What are you doing in my apartment? How do you know where I live? And what's with all those suitcases? Why do you have FIVE?" Soul bombarded her with questions.

"You didn't know?" Maka said, crossing her arms and adopting a look of disapproval. "Meisters and their weapons live together."

Soul's jaw dropped. He had never heard of anything like this before. He was living with a girl? But instead of some hot chick, he was stuck with this violent, flat-chested bookworm. Suddenly, she hit him over the head with a book.

"Ow! Not again! What was that for?!" Soul cried.

"I just want to make things clear," Maka replied. "I'm the stronger fighter of us two, so don't try anything funny. And I'll be locking the door to my room at night too."

Soul felt his face heat up, but then quickly regained his composure. He was Soul Eater Evans, after all.

"First of all, I would never do anything to hurt my meister," Soul said. "Second of all, who would want to go after a girl like you, Tiny Tits?"

WHAM! This time hurt even more than ever before.

"Ow, watch it!" Soul said. "You're so violent, geez!"

"That was for insulting me," she said, then dragged her army of suitcases into the empty bedroom and slammed the door. Soul sat there, rubbing his head and watching her go distastefully.

This was going to be a long and difficult road.

* * *

Maka was deep in thought as she unpacked her belongings and settled into her new room. Living with this boy was going to be a pain. Maka would have to cook and clean and do everything else all by herself. Just like before, except now she had to take care of two people. Men were so useless.

_If it's what it takes…_ Maka sighed.

Still, she liked it better this way. She didn't have to hear her parents' endless shouting day and night, and she could make her own decisions for meals. Speaking of which, she was going to need to go buy groceries on top of unpacking and homework today. Maka groaned and attacked her third suitcase with renewed vigor.

After two hours, her suitcases were finally cleared and her belongings were finally moved in. Maka stood in the center of her room and admired her work. The closet was tidy and full. The paper and notebooks were neatly organized on her desk. Her old desk lamp sat pointed towards a clean workspace.

_Homework… Groceries…_

Maka groaned again and flopped back onto her bed. She stared wearily at the ceiling fan. It was getting late. She needed to buy groceries and cook dinner soon. Dinner for two.

Maka sat up and sighed as she headed towards the door.

* * *

"WHAT THE HECK IS THIS MESS?!"

Soul moaned and sat up, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glanced at his clock as he headed towards his bedroom door. Five. He had been asleep for two and a half hours. Soul yawned as he opened the door.

"What? What's going on-OW!" he cried. A book had flown across the kitchen and hit him in the face.

"Man… what now?" he groaned, rubbing his forehead.

"I _thought_ it was suspicious that your apartment looked so clean!" Maka shouted. "Men _never_ keep clean homes!"

"What are you talking about?" Soul sighed.

"Look! Why are none of the dishes washed?" Maka yelled, pointing towards the sink where Soul's dirty plates had piled up.

"Geez, that's what you're mad about?"

Another book hit him.

"Clean it up! Right now!"

"Me? Why?"

"It's your mess!"

Then Maka spotted the trash can.

"Why are there so many pizza boxes?!" she cried. "They're stinking up the apartment!"

Soul opened his mouth to answer but a trash bag hit him in the chest.

"Forget about the dishes! I'll wash them! Go throw out the trash!" Maka shouted.

"Dammit, stop throwing things, woman," Soul growled, but did as he was told when his new meister started brandishing silverware.

_She's so demanding and violent._ Soul thought, irked. He disposed of the trash and headed back upstairs. When he returned, he noticed the plastic bags on the counter.

"What are those?" Soul asked.

"They're groceries," Maka replied without looking. She turned from the sink and glared at him disapprovingly.

"Don't you know how to cook?" she asked.

"No. I've been eating pizza from the local parlor," Soul answered, and then braced himself for another attack. Who knew when she'd go ballistic again? But Maka only sighed and turned back around.

"I expected as much," she said. Soul inched closer and peered cautiously over her shoulder. She was cutting some sort of vegetable.

"You can cook?" Soul asked.

"Yes. Do you want to help?" she replied.

"No," Soul answered quickly. He had no idea how.

"Then stop bothering me!"

Soul jumped and raced back to his room as miscellaneous household objects sailed towards him.

* * *

"Firstly, I would like to remind you all that today is the last day of school this week. That means you only have three days to get your uniforms," Sid announced to the classroom.

"Uniforms? What uniforms?" Soul inquired.

"Gym uniforms, idiot," Maka answered, irritated. She was still frustrated with him for yesterday's ordeal, not to mention the fact that she had to stay up late to finish her homework.

"Gym uniforms? Why? Since when did we have gym in our schedule?" Soul asked. Maka groaned.

"We're starting calisthenics next week!" she shouted at him. Several heads turned.

"Ahem," Sid spoke up. "Class has started. Please quiet down now."

Maka glared at her idiotic partner for a moment before turning and apologizing to the teacher. Her face burned with anger and embarrassment. Soul had gotten her into trouble. What was even more infuriating was the fact that he didn't even seem to mind. He was just busy whispering away and snickering with Black Star. Since when did they become such close friends? Soul was going to have a little bonding time with her book after class. When the bells rang, she turned and promptly gave him a nice, solid chop to the head.

"Ow! Geez, you hit me for everything!" he cried.

"You made me look bad in front of the class!" Maka yelled, standing to face him.

"Bad? How?"

"Sid scolded me!"

"You call that scolding? He was just starting class! And why are you so moody today?"

Maka's book descended on his head again.

"It's because on top of moving in and homework, I had to buy groceries for YOU and cook dinner for YOU and then wake up early the next morning to cook breakfast for YOU without any help from YOU!" she shouted.

Soul's expression turned from irritation to surprise. He opened his mouth but didn't say anything. Then he turned away shamefully.

"You should've let me buy groceries," he mumbled.

"What?"

"I said you should've let me buy groceries," Soul repeated. "Then you wouldn't have had to stay up so late doing your homework."

This time it was Maka's turn to be speechless. Why hadn't she considered it before? Soul noted her silence and continued.

"You can trust me, you know. I'm your partner."

Maka stood silent for a moment longer. Soul was absolutely right. She _could_ trust him, couldn't she? But she was still mad at him for embarrassing her.

"Come," she ordered. "We need to get your uniform before you forget." Then she turned briskly and walked away.

* * *

When they exited the classroom, Soul and Maka were confronted by none other than the two bullies from before. Soul immediately threw himself in front of his meister.

"What the hell do you two want?" he hissed.

"No… we don't want to fight you," the snobbish faced boy stuttered. The two of them were bruised and battered and, in some places, cut. But that wasn't what made them seem so feeble.

"Then what are you doing here?" Soul spat.

"We're…" the fat boy began slowly and uncertainly. All the bravado and malice from their previous encounters were gone. All that remained was a weak and disgraced upperclassman.

"Well?"

"We're here to apologize… for before," he finally managed.

"Apologize?" Soul repeated, surprised, but he didn't let his guard down. They could be pulling some sort of trick.

"We're here to apologize for attacking Maka," the snobbish faced boy said quietly. Soul felt his rage build up.

"You think a simple apology will cut it?!" he shouted. The two bullies hung their heads in shame.

"Soul, it's fine," Maka said, placing a hand on his shoulder. Soul turned to her, astonished.

"These two _attacked_ you, Maka!" he protested.

"Like I said, it's fine," Maka said again. "I can forgive them. It's my father that I can't forgive."

"But…"

Maka stepped past Soul, ignoring him, and gave the two bullies a deadly stare.

"I accept your apology," she declared. They simultaneously breathed a sigh of relief, which was cut short by her next words.

"But if you attack me again," Maka continued. "I will not hesitate to destroy you. Understood?"

The two boys gulped and nodded vigorously.

"Alright, then. Come on, Soul," Maka smirked, heading off. Soul followed grudgingly, but kept his eyes on the two boys until they were well out of sight. Then he turned and spoke to his meister.

"Why'd you forgive them?" he asked.

"Why not?" she replied.

"Well… you aren't really the forgiving type. You haven't forgiven _me_ for anything, and I didn't hurt you like those two did," Soul stated, annoyed.

"Unlike you, they gave me an honest apology," Maka shot back, her temper rising.

"What the hell? You can't be serious!"

"I am!"

"No way!"

"Yes way!"

"You'd never forgive me if I hurt you like that!"

"I would if you apologized! Violence begets violence and bloodshed begets bloodshed! Someone has to stop the cycle eventually!"

"What kind of crappy book did you read _that_ from?"

Her thick volume slammed on the top of his head.

"Ow! I guess that saying doesn't apply to you!"

"I hate you, Soul! I can't stand this anymore! I wish I never partnered with you!"

Maka stormed off furiously, leaving her equally upset weapon behind.

"Maka, wait!" Soul called, scrambling after her. Maka started running. Soul cursed and chased her down the hallways. But Maka was faster. After a few twists and turns, she was gone from his sight. Soul cursed and punched a wall. Then he punched it again. And again.

_Why is she so damn moody all the time?_

Soul let out a cry of anger and beat his frustrations into the wall until his knuckles were bloody from the effort. Finally, the pain brought him back to his senses. He took a deep breath.

_No point in standing around._

Soul gritted his teeth and set out again in the direction his meister had gone.

* * *

"What can I do for you, darling?" the plump lady behind the counter asked sweetly. Maka stepped forward slowly. In her hand was a small slip of paper that read, "Partner Exchange Request."

"I would like to…" she started. But the words froze in her throat. She thought about Soul… his snide remarks… his laziness… his unclean apartment… his insults… calling her _Tiny Tits._ But then she remembered that piece that he played for her and only her. The plump lady noticed the slip of paper and her smile dropped sadly. She knew all too well about the dilemma that Maka was going through.

"I would like to…" Maka tried again. She gritted her teeth, angry at her hesitancy. She should just go ahead and do it. This partnership was bound to end in disaster anyways.

"I would like to-"

"Maka!"

Her temper flared as she turned to face the person that had spoken.

"What, Soul?" she screamed. Her weapon took a step back, disturbed by how enraged she had become.

"Maka, what are you doing?!" Soul asked.

"I'm requesting a partner exchange!"

"What? Maka, don't rush things!"

"I rushed things the moment I partnered with you!"

"Dammit, Maka! I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry I was inconsiderate!"

"Why are you trying to stop me? Wouldn't you be better off with someone else?" Soul hesitated, and Maka pressed further.

"Someone who didn't yell at you, or hit you, or someone with bigger breasts!" As she said those words, she felt hot tears begin to slide down her face, because she knew it was all true. Anybody would be better off with a girl who wasn't as short-tempered or violent or unattractive as her.

"Maka!" Soul exclaimed, shocked by her outburst.

Maka began taking deep, shuddering breaths as her vision blurred.

"Go away, Soul!" she cried miserably. "Just find someone else!"

The anger left her. In its wake was only sadness.

"Maka," Soul repeated, adopting a more soothing tone. "Look at me." Reluctantly, she gazed at his blood-red eyes.

"As uncool as it sounds, I would never leave you. Not unless you asked me to, and even then, I might stick around," Soul stated. "You're my meister. I chose you because you were the only one with the guts to say 'world's strongest Death Scythe.' I've already made that decision and I'm sticking with it."

Maka said nothing in reply. She sniffled as the words sank in.

"Sure, you're short-tempered and violent and you throw a fit over just about anything I do wrong," Soul continued. "But I'm worse. I'm lazy and mean and inconsiderate and I've been so uncool lately… and I'm sorry for that."

Her breathing settled.

"I'm sorry, Maka. I'm sorry for everything. Can you forgive me? Please?"

Maka felt the flow of tears begin to dwindle. Slowly, she nodded. Soul smiled with relief.

"Are you going to make me the world's strongest Death Scythe?"

Maka wiped away her tears and nodded again, this time with more confidence.

"Yes," she said. Soul flashed his shark-toothed grin.

"Good."

Maka turned to face the lady at the counter, who had watched the whole spectacle unfold before her. The lady smiled warmly at Maka.

"How may I help you, darling?" she asked again.

"I would like to throw away this slip of paper," Maka said.

The lady's smile widened as she lifted up a small trash bin.

"Right 'O," she replied.

* * *

**XD. I got the inspiration for the scene with Maka moving in from the time when I had to help move my sister into her new apartment. It was a HUGE PAIN IN THE BUTT! My dad and I had to assemble every single piece of furniture in her room. Yes. That includes her bed, her desk, her two cabinets, and her rolling chair. And then there were the suitcases. She had four, but one of them was mega-sized, so she actually had five suitcases worth of god knows whatever females put in them. And don't even get me started on the shoe rack. She had a freaking SHOE RACK that had TWO LEVELS and each level cold hold like eight pairs of shoes. I'm just like: "WHY DO YOU NEED SO MANY SHOES?" She and my mom are all like: "They have to match your outfit." NO THEY DON'T. You just need one pair and maybe an extra pair of flip-flops. YOU DON'T NEED THAT MANY SHOES.**

**But I'm just ranting at this point. I will never understand the female mind. -.-**


	6. New Schedule

**Here's chapter 6! I feel like there isn't enough action in this fanfic. It doesn't even compare to the amount of action in the actual storyline. -.- But don't worry. There will be plenty of action, and there will be mild fluff too, for those of you fluff lovers. :)**

**Disclaimer: Derp.**

* * *

Chapter 6: New Schedule

* * *

There was one thing that Maka learned about Soul while living with him.

"Soul! Get up! It's the second week of school!" Maka called, knocking on her weapon's bedroom door.

"We start the new schedule today!"

No reply.

Maka sighed with frustration. To say that Soul never woke up on time would be an understatement. He never woke up _at all_. For the fourth day in a row, Maka swung open her partner's bedroom door, stomped up to his bed, and gave him a good Maka Chop to the head. This time, he didn't even cry out in pain. He just groaned sleepily.

"Soul! Get up!" Maka shouted.

"Yeah, yeah…" Soul mumbled, rolling over.

"Now!"

She chopped him again and he jolted awake.

"Alright! Alright!" Soul said, slowly dragging himself out of bed.

Satisfied and angry at the same time, Maka left Soul's bedroom to make breakfast. A couple of minutes later, her shark-toothed weapon came out and sat down at the table. Maka placed a plate full of hot food in front of him and settled down across the table with her own plate.

"Scrambled eggs again?" Soul noted.

"If you don't want it, you can make something yourself," Maka replied.

Soul quieted down and ate what he was given. Good. Maka couldn't fathom why Soul _wouldn't_ want scrambled eggs. They tasted so good, and they were nutritious too. They were going to need the protein because they were starting calisthenics this week. When the two of them were done eating, Maka washed the dishes.

"Don't forget your gym uniform, Soul," Maka ordered.

"I know," Soul replied, showing her a plastic bag containing his clothes. Maka finished cleaning and the two of them left the apartment.

Maka found that she enjoyed walking to school. It was a nice change from having to sit in a car and listen to her parents' bickering for fifteen minutes straight. Speaking of which, she hoped they noticed the note she had left them telling them where she had gone.

"Hey Maka," Soul spoke up.

"What?" Maka replied.

"What do you think we'll do in gym today?"

"Well, we'll probably do some strengthening exercises."

Soul furrowed his brow.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Maka sighed. He couldn't be _that_ dumb, could he?

"Of course we're going to exercise!" she said. "It's gym!"

"I know, but what's the point of a weapon training their body?" Soul asked. "Meisters are the ones who do the heavy lifting."

"Soul, you idiot! A weapon's strength is just as important as their meister's!" Maka shouted, automatically swinging her book. "And there may be a time when I'm incapacitated and you need to defend me as a human!"

"Okay, I get it. You didn't have to hit me, though," Soul grumbled.

"Soul, you need to be prepared for anything if you want to become a Death Scythe!"

"Calm down, I get it."

"No you don't!"

"Trust me, Maka."

Maka opened her mouth to retort but then stopped.

_Trust him._

It wasn't a concept Maka was familiar with. The only person she ever trusted was her mother. She pouted and looked away so she wouldn't have to see Soul smirk.

"Fine!"

* * *

Maka was right about gym. Soul panted heavily as he jogged with thirty other members of the EAT class around an outdoor track. Weapons and meisters alike participated in exercises. Soul reached the end of the track.

_One more lap to go._ He thought dreadfully.

The desert heat made matters worse. Sweat poured from his body in amounts that could fill a pool. Maka was way ahead of the group, racing with Black Star. How they managed to still have so much competitive energy after ten hellish laps around this track Soul did not know. The two finished at the same time, but Black Star raised his hands and jumped in celebration.

"WOOHOO! I'm the best!" he shouted.

Maka shouted something in return, but Soul couldn't hear her. She wasn't even close to how loud the blue-haired ninja was. By the time Soul reached the end, Maka had hit Black Star over the head with her book.

"Ow! That hurt!" Black Star cried. "You just hit a god! Apologize right now-!" The book fell again.

"Argh! _Man_ Soul, how do you handle _living_ with this devil?"

"You'd better stop talking or she'll hit you again," Soul chuckled.

True to her partner's words, Maka brought her book down again. Soul laughed at Black Star's predicament, glad that someone else had to share his pain. Black Star was a funny guy. His theatrics kept Soul alive in all those boring classes that Maka forced him to stay awake in. They had quickly become friends when they learned that they shared a common interest in basketball.

"Ow! Not again! Soul, get your meister off of me!" Black Star cried.

"Only if you apologize for whatever you did," Soul grinned.

"But I didn't do anything!"

"Yes you did! You kept gloating about being first when we tied!" Maka shouted.

"But I _did_- Ow! Alright! We tied!"

Maka huffed and stopped her assault. Soul laughed and helped his friend up.

"Black Star! Are you alright?" Tsubaki asked as she hurried over.

"Of course I am! That book was nothing to a god like me!" Black Star shouted.

"I hate him," Maka said to Soul.

"You'll have to get used to it," Soul replied. "We'll be stuck in the same class all year long."

"But he doesn't have to act so immature!"

Soul smiled, amused at his partner's hypocrisy. Just then, a voice called his meister's name.

"Maka!"

Heads turned. Maka's father was racing towards them at full throttle.

"Maka!" the red-haired man cried despairingly. "Why did you leave without telling Papa or Mama?"

He threw himself towards his daughter, arms outstretched in an embrace. Maka deftly leapt aside with practiced ease. The Death Scythe landed face-first on the ground.

"I left you a note," Maka said disapprovingly. "Maybe if you weren't busy womanizing, you would've seen it."

"That's not true!" her father sobbed. "Papa loves Maka and Mama the most!"

The class roared with laughter.

"Quiet down, now," Miss Naigus said. "Spirit, what did you come here for?"

But the Death Scythe continued to sob on the ground.

"Well, we can't be wasting time now. Class, split into-"

"Wait!" Spirit shouted, shooting up to his feet. "I've got something to say!"

He marched up and pressed his face right up in Soul's. Not cool at all. Soul leaned back, disgusted.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Soul Eater," Spirit sneered. "You keep your hands off my Maka, understand?"

"Why the hell would a cool guy like me go after a girl like Tiny Tits?" Soul shot back.

"Hey!" Maka shouted, slamming her book on her partner's head.

"Yeah! That's my Maka!" Spirit cheered. Maka hit him too.

"Go away Papa. You're disturbing our training," Maka said. "I don't even think of you as my father."

The red-haired man burst into another round of sobs.

"Maka," he cried. "Please don't be like that."

But Maka ignored him.

"Come on, Soul," she said, helping her partner up. "We've got to train."

* * *

"Man, I'm beat."

"Sit up, Soul. Class is about to start," Maka said. Soul grudgingly raised his head.

"You're a meister, Maka. You didn't have to go through what we had to," he groaned.

It was true. After that good for nothing father had left, Miss Naigus had split the class into meisters and weapons. The meisters then did basic weight lifting indoors while the weapons jogged another ten laps in the Nevada heat.

"Well, I told you everyone had to exercise. Some days, weapons will have to do more than meisters and vice versa," Maka replied.

"Hey Soul!" Black Star called. "Wanna hang out and play basketball after school today?"

"Nah, man. I'm toast. I sweated a gallon today."

"Aw, dang. I guess it's tough not being a god like me! Right, Tsubaki?" Tsubaki smiled and nodded with agreement.

"Soul, did you put away your gym uniform?" Maka asked.

"Yeah, of course," Soul answered.

"And are you sure you didn't forget anything in the showers?"

"Yeah."

"Nothing at all?"

"Of course! Why do you keep asking?"

"I'm just making sure."

Soul frowned at his meister for a moment.

"Why can't you trust me to manage myself?"

"I said I was just making sure! It has nothing to do with trust!"

"Yes it does. If you trusted me, you wouldn't have asked."

Maka hit him with her book.

"Stop accusing me, Soul! I trust you, okay?" she cried.

"Alright, alright," Soul grumbled. Maka crossed her arms and huffed angrily.

Soul was such a jerk. Of course she trusted him! They were partners! They lived together! If that wasn't trust, then what was?

* * *

_Kill kong kang kong…_

"Freedom at last!" Black Star shouted gleefully, rushing out the door.

"Black Star!" Tsubaki called, hurrying after her meister.

"Come on, Soul," Maka beckoned, standing up. Soul yawned and followed his meister. Then he remembered something.

"Maka, I gotta go to my locker," Soul said.

"I do too. Let's meet up at the front entrance," Maka responded. "You know how to get there, right?"

"Yes, I'm not stupid!" Soul replied angrily.

"Alright, fine," Maka sighed, turning away. They went their separate ways. When Soul reached his locker, he found a note in it. Curious, Soul opened the letter.

_Dear Soul. I think you're really cute and cool! Please be my partner! - Hana._

Soul smirked. His reputation was already rising. Wait till Black Star heard about this. He'd be _so_ jealous. Soul was broken out of his thoughts by a low rumble accompanied by a series of vibrations. Shrieks could be heard far away.

_What the hell was that?_ Soul wondered.

"It's an attack!" someone shouted.

A blast shook the school, much closer than before. People began to scream. Confused tides of students rushed in all directions.

"-what's going on-"

"-gonna be alright?-"

"-don't wanna die-"

"-where do we-"

"-Is it witches?-"

_Witches?... Maka!_

Soul rushed towards the direction his meister had gone. He pushed and shoved against the flow of students. A man stepped in front of him, putting his hands on his shoulders.

"Other way, kid," the teacher said. "Go to Lord Death's room."

"Let go of me!" Soul shouted, struggling in the man's grasp. But the teacher had a grip of iron.

"Calm down, kid. It's alright."

"Let me go!" Soul shouted again, transforming his arm into a blade. The man yelped in pain and let go. Soul ducked beneath the teacher's arm and took off. He would apologize later. Right now, there was only one thing on his mind.

"Maka!" Soul called. "Maka, where are you?!"

But even if his meister heard him, there was no way he could possibly hear her soprano cries in return. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Soul frantically cast his eyes about the sea of faces.

"Maka!" he called again. He struggled past a group of screaming girls and then heard it. A voice.

_Her_ voice.

"Soul!"

"Maka?"

Soul turned, desperately searching for his green-eyed meister. Then he spotted her. She was headed towards him, only yards away, but with all the students in between them, it could have been a mile.

"Maka!" Soul called, shoving his way towards his partner.

An explosion violently smashed the ceiling above her.

"No!" Soul cried, but it was too late.

He watched helplessly as five tons of rubble collapsed on his meister.

* * *

**mwuahahahaha... cliff hanger... :) Gee, I wonder if she'll survive? XD. Too bad none of these cliff hangers really have that umph to them, because you know that Maka lives because this is their past and if they died now, they wouldn't be in the actual storyline. XD**

**The name Hana means flower in Japanese. I just wanted to quickly think of a name for a girl. But even though she has a name, she won't become a major character at all. Or will she? Mwuahaha...**


	7. Trust

**Hey guys, sorry that the previous chapter was so short. This one's longer and more stuff happens. :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Walmart**

* * *

Chapter 7: Trust

* * *

"Maka!"

Soul rushed forward, shoving screaming students out of the way. Sunlight bled through the wound in the ceiling and intermingled with the newly created dust, forming a smoky haze that irritated his lungs. Soul coughed as he breathed in sawdust and particles of concrete.

"Maka!" Soul cried again as he reached the pile of fallen rubble.

There was no reply.

Soul cursed and began tearing rocks off of the pile. The screams began to fade away as the crowds dispersed. Soul was the only one left.

"Maka! Answer me!"

He heard a muffled voice from within the rubble.

"Maka!"

Soul tore furiously at the concrete rubble to reach her. The cries became louder with every piece removed. Soul hefted a massive piece of concrete with all his might and threw it to the side. Something underneath moved.

"Ma-"

Soul stopped. It wasn't her.

A girl struggled out of the rubble, surprisingly with few bruises. She winced and then looked at her savior.

"Thank you so much!" she cried.

Soul only cursed and continued digging. The girl was startled by this.

"What are you doing?" she exclaimed.

"Go to Lord Death's room!" Soul shouted at her.

"Wait, but you-"

"Now!"

She yelped and took off. Soul cursed again and dug at the rubble with renewed vigor. He cut his hand badly on something but he didn't care. He continued to tear ravenously at the pile as if it were his worst enemy. Block after block rolled off, stained with his blood. At last, he saw something familiar.

A black coat.

"Maka!" Soul called, tearing what little pieces remained on his meister's body.

Thankfully, she wasn't too hurt. Two large slabs of concrete had fallen against one another so that a triangular pocket was created underneath. This sheltered her from most of the fallen debris. Soul carefully dragged his meister out and checked her pulse. There was a steady heartbeat. Soul breathed a sigh of relief.

Then another explosion shook the building, throwing Soul onto the ground.

He cursed and got back up, hefting his meister onto his back. Another explosion resounded, this time much closer. Soul stumbled and began to run.

* * *

Her head throbbed.

It hurt.

The pain danced in her mind, prodding her with its hot iron. It burned on as she drifted between sleep and reality. Slowly, she floated towards consciousness.

_Where am I…_

She struggled towards the surface- struggled against the pain. She fought the hands that grabbed her and threatened to pull her back down.

_Help… me…_

The first thing she noticed was the warmth. It was comforting and it soothed the pain in her head. Then her brain began to register the constant movement, and the hands that grasped her legs. Her eyes slowly peeled open. She was… being carried…

_Who?_

Her gaze drifted upwards, and she saw a familiar tuft of white hair.

"Soul…?" Maka managed feebly.

It was her weapon. Panting and running with her on his back.

"It's alright, Maka," he said. "It's alright, you're safe."

Maka opened her mouth to speak but found it impossibly difficult. She didn't even have enough energy to scream when the wall next to them exploded. Soul stumbled but kept on running.

"Where… are we going…"

"Someplace safe. Don't worry."

"Soul…"

"Trust me, Maka. Everything's alright."

Another explosion.

_Trust him…_

She was afraid. She was terrified. Her life was in danger, and there was nothing she could do about it. She didn't even have the strength to keep her eyes open. Her life was completely in her partner's hands. She had never felt this out of control before.

_Trust him…_

Soul stumbled again, but kept on running. Maka's eyes fluttered as unconsciousness began to take her once more. She tried to fight it- to stay awake. She had to. She _had_ to.

Because-

Because if she drifted away-

If she lost control of the situation-

She could _die_.

If she fell asleep, _she could die_.

"Everything's gonna be alright, Maka. Everything's gonna be alright."

_Trust… Soul…  
_

And as deathly sleep approached, she realized what trust truly was. Trust did not mean living with the person. It did not mean being partners with him. Those facts meant nothing at all.

_Trust him with your life…_

And as it dawned on her what it truly meant, she found that in all her years, she had never trusted someone before. Not one single person. Not even the parents that she lived with. Because trust meant something different. It meant putting her life in his hands. It meant letting go, and believing completely that he'd be there to catch her. It meant giving him the power to break her, and hoping he would never use it.

Could she do it? Could she trust him? A boy?

His voice rumbled from in front of her. The words were barely coherent through his back. She struggled to listen in her hazy state.

"Everything's going to be alright. Trust me, Maka."_  
_

And that was all it took. She let her eyes close.

_I trust you, Soul…_

Another blast shook the building, and Soul fell.

* * *

Soul's head hit the ground with a crack. He cried out and lost his grip on his meister. For a moment, he lay there, dazed, but then quickly shook himself out of it.

"Maka?" he cried, looking to see if she was hurt. She lay beside him, unmoving. Soul cursed and moved to pick her up again, but before he could do so, he heard a cackle behind him. Soul whirled around. A witch approached him, wielding a broomstick.

"She's dead," the witch laughed.

"No she's not!" Soul shouted.

"Oh? Well, now she is," the witch smirked, pointing a sharp-nailed finger at Maka. Soul cursed and grabbed his limp meister. A blinding light flared from the pointed finger and flew towards the defenseless girl. Soul gripped Maka by her arms and leapt to the side with all his might. The ground exploded where he had been only moments earlier. The force of the blast, however, knocked Soul over. He gritted his teeth as he hit the floor, wrapping his arms around his meister to cushion her fall. For a brief moment, he lost consciousness, but quickly came to. The witch was readying another attack. Soul didn't have enough strength to get Maka away in time. He crawled out from underneath his partner and leapt to his feet, transforming his arm into a blade.

The pointed finger glowed white hot as Soul placed himself between the impending attack and his meister. Another flash of light speared from the finger. Soul took the brunt of the blow with his blade, but the ensuing explosion threw him against the wall. He collided with the hard surface with a thud and coughed up blood as he felt several of his ribs break. The pain screamed in his head and his eyes fluttered as he struggled to remain conscious. But it was no use even if he stayed awake. He didn't have enough strength to stand. He knew it, and the witch knew it too. She cackled maniacally as she took deliberate, taunting, slowness to raise her hand and point her finger at Maka.

_No!_ Soul thought, cursing his own weakness.

_Move, dammit!_

He tried to pull his legs underneath him, but slumped back down. The hand rose with agonizingly slow motion.

_God dammit! Move, Soul Eater!_

The witch giggled as she watched his futile efforts.

"I'm getting ready," she taunted. "Closer and closer!"

Then she broke out into fits of sadistic laughter. Her arm rose further. It was pointing at Maka now.

_No, no, no, NO!_

"Time's up," the witch smiled evilly. The finger began to glow, burning in an intoxicating color.

_No!_

The witch cried out in pain. Immediately, the blinding light vanished. Soul's eyes readjusted to the sudden lack of light and found with utter surprise who their saviors were.

"Get back, you bitch!" the fat meister yelled.

"Yeah! Get back!" the club echoed.

The witch snarled and turned to face her new foes.

"Foolish children," she hissed. Then she fired a bolt of light from her finger. The club blocked it, but both of the upperclassmen were thrown back. The fat pig recovered after a moment and threw himself back at the witch. Soul struggled to shift his weight onto his legs as the battle continued. He gritted his teeth as pain lanced up his side. The club meister fell down next to Soul.

"We can handle it from here," the fat boy said, recovering to his feet. "You can rest."

"Oh hell no," Soul shot back. "It's already uncool enough that you two are saving me."

"Fine," the fat boy replied.

The two struggled to their feet and readied to attack. The witch spoke a syllable, and in an instant, the three students were blown back by an invisible force. Soul hit the ground hard, wincing in pain. Unconsciousness threatened to overwhelm him. He began to see darkness at the corner of his eyes. He could barely register what he was seeing as his eyes lolled about. The fat pig and the club were out cold. The witch's hand was raised, her finger pointed at Maka. The finger glowed once more.

_No!_

A strength that he did not possess before pulled him to his feet. He took one step.

Two-

He had to make it in time-

The finger glowed brighter-

Another step-

Brighter-

Soul lurched forward, but he was still yards away. The light illuminated their surroundings, blinding Soul.

_No…_

Brighter-

_No!_

In a flash, it was over. The witch screamed and fell to the ground.

"What…?" Soul breathed. From the smoke came a voice.

"That's enough."

The witch gasped when she saw who it was.

"L-lord Death!" she cried.

"You made the wrong decision coming here," the grim reaper said, more furious than Soul had ever seen him before. "But before I destroy you, you are going to tell me exactly why you attacked this place."

At this, the crazed witch only screeched with laughter.

"Just you wait! I will release the kishin!" she screamed.

Thunder struck, and the witch was no more. In her place floated a glowing soul.

_In an instant…_ Soul thought with wonder, sinking to his knees. Lord Death turned to face him, the fury from before seemingly vanished without a trace.

"You did well, lasting for this long," he said soothingly. "You're safe now. The witch is dead."

Soul breathed a sigh of relief as his last vestiges of energy left him. He was out cold before his head hit the floor.

* * *

Maka awoke to the sound of an irritating beeping.

She looked around slowly. She was in a peaceful white room illuminated by soft sunlight that streamed through a window to her left. She was lying on a white bed with white sheets. On her arm was a wire attached to a machine that beeped at a steady pace. Beside her were rows of empty beds. She was alone.

_The infirmary?_

Memories of the events of before came flooding back.

Calling his name-

The ceiling falling-

And him carrying her-

Telling her everything was okay-

And then falling-

Falling-

Falling...

_What happened? Where is everybody? _Maka thought. She began to panic.

_Is everyone okay?_

Then she noticed Soul. Maka yelped, because her weapon was sleeping right next to her. He was sitting on a chair next to her bed and his head rested next to her arm. An IV attached his arm to a stand by the empty bed next to hers, the covers tossed about carelessly. At the sound of her voice, Soul stirred, but did not wake.

"It's okay… Maka…" he murmured. "Safe…"

Maka couldn't help but giggle. Soul was all cool this and cool that but he could be so cute when he slept…

Until he started drooling.

"Ew, Soul!"

WHAM!

Soul groaned sleepily.

"Oh, you're awake?" he asked, rubbing his eyes. "How are you feeling?"

"Soul, stop drooling on my bed!" Maka cried, hitting her partner again.

"Ow! Feeling fine, I see."

"I _was_ fine until you started drooling!"

"Damn. That's uncool."

Soul sat up, wincing as he did so. Maka noticed her partner clutch his side in pain. She immediately felt concern for him.

"Soul, are you alright?" she asked fearfully. Had she hit him too hard? She shouldn't have hit him in the first place. All he did was drool in his sleep.

"I'm okay. It's just a couple broken ribs," he said.

"What?! Soul, I'm so sorry-"

BAM!

The door swung open with a crack and in jumped Black Star.

"Soul! Maka! Are you guys alright?" the blue-haired ball of energy shouted. "Your god is here for you!"

He tackled Soul from behind. Soul cried out in pain.

"Black Star! You're hurting him!" Maka exclaimed. Tsubaki rushed into the room looking worried.

"I'm so sorry!" she cried. But she was too late.

"Maka chop!"

The infirmary had another patient.

"I'm sorry," Tsubaki apologized again. "Black Star was just really worried that you and Soul were injured."

"Wait… Soul, how did you break your ribs?" Maka asked.

"You don't know what happened?" Tsubaki asked, surprised.

"She just woke up a minute ago," Soul explained.

"Oh," Tsubaki said, then smiled at Maka. "He fought off a witch until Lord Death came to the rescue."

Maka's eyes widened as she turned to look at Soul with wonder.

He blushed and turned away.

"You fought a witch?" Maka exclaimed.

"It wasn't as cool as it sounds. I was barely surviving, and I had help too," Soul mumbled.

"Help? Who?" Maka inquired.

"That's the uncool part," Soul sighed. "It was those two upperclassmen that attacked you."

Maka sat there, surprised, for a moment.

"Some upperclassmen attacked Maka?" Tsubaki asked.

"Yeah," Soul answered.

"Why?"

"Something about her father molesting their girlfriends-"

The door suddenly swung open. A distraught nurse entered and saw Tsubaki and Black Star.

"Please stop disturbing the patients," she said. "They need rest."

"Oh, I'm very sorry!" Tsubaki exclaimed. She quickly dragged her unconscious meister out of the room. The nurse turned once they were gone.

"Soul! What are you doing out of your bed?" she exclaimed. "You're still wounded!"

Soul opened his mouth to protest but the nurse would have none of it.

"Get back in bed now!"

Soul grumbled and did as he was told.

"I can't believe you," the nurse sighed, shaking her head. "We've already moved you to the bed right next to hers. How much closer do you want to get?"

Soul's face turned red.

"It's not like that!" he sputtered. "She's my meister!"

"Whatever. Just don't get out of your bed until your bones have fully healed, except when you need to go to the restroom. Then you call for one of us to bring you a wheelchair."

The nurse replaced Soul's IV drip with a newer one and then turned to face Maka.

"Maka, you had a minor concussion and some bruises on your back," she said. "You're fine, now, but we'll keep you in the infirmary for another day just to make sure everything's okay. Is that alright with you?"

Maka nodded.

"Yes ma'am," she answered.

"Good. Is there anything that you need?"

Maka glanced at Soul questioningly. He shook his head.

"Nothing, ma'am."

"Alright, then. I'll bring you two breakfast. Don't try anything funny while I'm gone, Soul," the nurse warned.

"Hey! I said it's not like that!" Soul shouted, but the nurse was already out the door. Soul was as red as a tomato.

"Damn," he muttered. "So uncool."

Maka giggled. Soul frowned at her.

"Hey Soul."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks… for protecting me."

"Whatever."

Soul turned away, still blushing. Maka giggled again. Her partner looked so adorable when he tried to keep his cool act together despite it all falling apart. She couldn't help but laugh at his predicament, at which his blush only grew deeper.

And as the bubbly sounds of joy escaped her, Maka felt a happiness that she hadn't felt in a long time, because here, at last, she had found someone she could truly trust.

_You can stop trying, Soul. You're already the coolest partner in the world._

"Stop giggling, Tiny Tits."

Never mind.

"Maka chop!"

* * *

**There you go. I said there would be mild fluff. Well, this is about as fluffy as it gets. **

**And it took Soul seven days to do it, but he finally has Maka's trust. XD**


	8. One-Star Qualifications Exam Part I

**Alright, sorry but I have to start slowing down the rate at which I release chapters because you guys are catching up FAST. Again, sorry, but at this rate, you guys will catch up to me in a matter of days. XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't get paid for this.**

* * *

Chapter 8: One-Star Qualifications Exam Part I

* * *

RING! RING! RING!

Soul groaned and rolled over.

RING! RING! RING!

He buried his face into his pillow.

RING! RING! RING!

He gave a cry of frustration.

RING! RING! RING!

"What. The. Fuck."

Soul sat up and groaned at the abomination that was vibrating on his desk. The door opened and a smirking, green-eyed girl appeared.

"Time to get up, Soul," she said. "Like your new present?"

"Maka, what the fuck is this?" Soul shouted.

"It's an alarm clock. Duh."

"Get rid of it."

"Alright, then. Would you rather I wake you up the old fashioned way?"

Maka brandished a book and smiled sweetly. Soul groaned.

"No."

"Good."

RING! RING! RING!

"BUT HOW DO I TURN THIS DAMN THING OFF?"

"You press the button on top."

Soul slammed his hand down on the clock. It stopped ringing. Soul continued to scowl at it.

"Get ready, Soul. Today's the day."

Soul's mood immediately brightened at the thought. He grinned at his partner.

"Yeah. My coolness is gonna go up big time," he said. Maka returned the smile.

"Yup," she replied, and then frowned. "But hurry up. I don't want to be late."

"Yeah, yeah. I got it," Soul said, swinging his legs out of bed.

* * *

As they walked to school, Maka bombarded her partner with questions.

"What's a kishin egg?"

"It's a bad guy that could become an even worse one."

"That's not good enough, Soul. What do you mean by 'an even worse one'?"

Soul sighed.

"A real kishin," he said.

"Not real. Full-fledged."

"It's the same thing!"

"No it's not! One's going to be the right answer and the other one's going to be the wrong one!"

"Alright, alright! Lay off, will you?"

"Alright. Now, complete my sentence: A sound soul dwells within…"

Soul furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. Maka felt her anxiety build with each passing second.

"Soul, did you study at all?" she cried.

"I did. Chill out," he answered.

"It doesn't seem like it!"

"I _did_, alright?"

"Then prove it! Answer my question!"

He was silent for a moment.

"Soul! I can't believe-"

"A sound mind and a sound body!"

Maka's book stopped just short of hitting Soul in the face. Soul smirked.

"See?"

Maka gave a cry of frustration and turned away, crossing her arms in the process.

"You had better not fail this test, Soul Eater!" she pouted.

"Don't worry. I've got it all under control."

"Whatever."

Despite her partner's reassurances, Maka did worry. This was what they had been waiting for. This was what they had been training and studying for. After months and months of hard work, they finally qualified to go on missions. All they had to do now was complete a multi-step test. Then Maka would attain the official rank of a one-star meister and the pair would be given the permission to accept real missions.

_Real missions! Real battles! _

The thought made her both excited and anxious at the same time. The problem was the written portion of the test. Soul never did well on tests. If he failed, they both failed.

And qualification tests only happened once a year.

It was a Saturday, so there were only a few teachers and students at DWMA when they arrived. Several other pairs were there to take the tests, but Soul and Maka were the only freshmen there- a thought that Maka took pride in. Her mother became a one-star meister when she was a freshman too. Sid, who was holding a clipboard, approached Soul and Maka at the top of the stairs.

"Good morning, you two," he smiled.

"Good morning," Soul and Maka returned.

"You're a bit early, but that's alright, since you're the only ones from my class here today," Sid said. "Come this way."

He led them through the Academy and down several flights of stairs. They stopped before two identical black doors next to one another. Each door had a skull engraved upon the center and a plaque nailed below it. On one plaque was the word MEISTER while the other had the word WEAPON.

"I'm pretty sure you've already studied how the process of the test goes, but I will explain it here once more," Sid said, and then began reading from a paper on his clipboard. "Welcome to the Thirty-first One-star Demon Weapon and Meister Qualifications Exam. When given the command, you will both enter your corresponding doors at the same time. Once you have entered, you will be given the written portion of the test. Your time limit is one hour. After you have completed your test, you will give it to the examination proctor through the slit in the wall. Only after it has been approved will you be allowed to enter the next room, which is the physical testing portion of the test. If both of you make it there, then you will participate in a duel against a proctor. Only when the proctor deems you suitable will you pass. Do you have any questions?"

Soul and Maka shook their heads.

"Alright, then. Prepare to enter through your corresponding doors."

They approached their respective doors. As Maka stepped up to hers, the skull grinned sadistically at her.

"Are you ready?"

Maka glanced at Soul. He gave her a reassuring grin.

"I'm counting on you, Soul," Maka said.

"Don't worry. I'll pass. Trust me," Soul replied.

And Maka knew that was the only thing she could do. She would have to endure the anxiety and trust that her weapon would make it.

"The time is seven fifty-five. You may enter now."

* * *

Soul pushed open the door and entered. In front of him was the strangest room he had ever seen- even stranger than the Death Room. The door shut behind him, and he was in a small, dark room where every inch of surface was polished mirror. The only light came from a dim lamp on a metal desk at the center of the room. It reflected endlessly in all directions. Soul looked at his reflection and made a funny face. He laughed, but then remembered the test. He made his way to the desk and gingerly sat down on the metal chair in front of it. His mind was buzzing.

_Okay, gotta remember everything. Sound soul in a sound mind and a sound body… Kishin eggs… Kishins… Witch Hunter… Soul wavelength…_

The desk before him held only one piece of paper and a pen. Soul picked up the pen and looked at the paper.

* * *

The door shut behind her. Maka looked around.

_What a suspicious room._ She thought.

She looked at her gloomy reflections which stretched endlessly across the murky darkness. They returned her frown, multiplied a million times. She turned and observed the only other objects in the room. A small metal desk accompanied by a small metal chair sat at the center of the enclosed space. On the desk was a single sheet of paper and a pen, illuminated by a small lamp. Across from her, on the wall, there was a small slit large enough to fit the paper.

_That's where I put my paper when I'm done._

Maka strode forward confidently and sat down.

_Alright. I can do this._

She picked up the pen and took a look at the paper. She took a sharp breath.

_What… what is this?_

* * *

Soul gritted his teeth.

_How…?_

* * *

Maka dropped the pen.

_I… I can't…_

* * *

Soul clenched his fist.

_How did they know?_

* * *

Maka felt tears well in her eyes.

_I can't make a decision like this!_

* * *

_What the hell…_

_Now I know… Why some people don't pass this until their senior year…_

_Whoever made this is a sick-minded bastard…_

_Now I know… Why some people never pass this at all…_

On the left side of the paper…

…there was a picture…

…of…

…Mother and Father…

…and Black Star…

…and Tsubaki…

…and everyone else…

…from the EAT class…

…all of them…

… glaring at the other side…

…and above them…

…a scythe…

…and on the other side…

…holding the scythe…

…ready to cut down…

…was Soul…

…was Maka…

…and below the two pictures…

…was one sentence…

WHO DO YOU CHOOSE?

* * *

**Okay, that part might be a bit confusing. Basically, the test is asking: "If this happened, who would you side with? DWMA or your partner?"**

**Anyways, holy crap this chapter was short. ONLY 1300 WORDS! That's less than half of what I normally spew out. But don't worry. The next one is longer to balance it out. :)**


	9. One-Star Qualifications Exam Part II

**Aaaaand back. Funny how writing about a TEST can actually be interesting. XD. But recently, I read the latest Soul Eater chapter, and THERE'S A FLASHBACK ABOUT SOUL AND MAKA'S PAST! It was awesome, although it was different from how my story depicts it, so now my credibility has just decreased. -.-**

**Disclaimer: This story is fictional.**

* * *

Chapter 9: One-Star Qualifications Exam Part II

* * *

_What the hell. What the fuck. What do I do?_

Soul clenched his fists in frustration as he stared at Maka's face, drawn very accurately, aside from the fact that a wicked grin stretched from ear to ear, replacing his meister with a monster. Then he looked at all the innocent people she was about to murder.

_How do they know what my parents look like?_

Soul stared and stared intently at the faces of the Evans family. They were perfectly drawn. Complete replicas of his relatives waited under the blade.

* * *

Maka pulled at her hair with frustration. Which one should she pick?

_Betray Soul? Or everyone else?_

She looked at the picture of her parents. She never liked her father… but he had still helped raise her for fourteen years. She still owed him something.

_But Soul…_

Soul was the first person she had ever trusted in her life. And he most certainly trusted her too. She couldn't betray that trust, could she?

_What do I do? What do I do?_

* * *

Soul thought and thought. He got the gist of the question. It was asking who he owed his loyalty to. But that was what he wasn't sure of. If Maka one day betrayed

DWMA, then who would he side with? He looked at the evil murderous girl holding the scythe and then smirked. The picture was quite an accurate representation of real life anyways.

_Everyone else can go fuck themselves. There's no way I'm betraying Maka._

He put his pen on the paper, but then hesitated.

_What if I'm wrong?_

* * *

She had a fifty percent chance.

_So why does it seem like I'll be wrong either way?  
_

Maka looked back and forth between the two options. Soul's trademark smirk was stretched much further than normal, turning her weapon into a demented shark. It scared her- more than anything else. It scared her to think that Soul would betray everyone. And if he would betray everyone else, wouldn't he betray her too?

_Don't let your emotions get the better of you, Maka! Think logically!_

Maka took a deep breath. If she chose to follow Soul, then everyone would die. If she chose to help everyone else, it didn't mean that Soul would die, would it? In the weight of lives, the left side was much better. It was the best option.

_Or was it?_

* * *

_What if I'm wrong?_

What if this tested if he was loyal to DWMA or not? If he chose the left side, then maybe they would deem him as unsuitable to join. Soul lifted his pen off the paper.

His hand was shaking.

_What would Maka do?_

Soul rested his head on the desk and closed his eyes.

_Think, Soul Eater. Think!_

Loyalty to his meister? Or the school? Which one was the right answer? If he picked the wrong one, he'd let them both down. And he couldn't let her down. He _couldn't_.

* * *

_I'm sorry, Soul._ Maka thought, then shook her head. It wasn't actually as if she was betraying him. She had just circled the left side. It didn't mean anything. Slowly, she stood up-

And walked to the slit in the wall-

And hesitated.

_What if I'm wrong?_

She let out a frustrated groan. Why was it that all those multiple choice questions with answer choices A-E so much easier than this one-question test? She had to stop doubting herself.

She slid the paper in and held her breath. It would take the proctor only a second to grade it.

Three seconds ticked by.

Four-

Sweat trickled down her face-

Five-

What if-

Six-

What if she was wrong?

And-

The wall swung open, flooding the room with light. Maka shielded her eyes. Sid stood on the other side. He looked at her and smiled.

"You pass," he said. Maka sighed with relief. She smiled, and couldn't help herself. The pressure had been too much. She hugged Sid. Sid stiffened at the sudden contact, but then relaxed.

"Now isn't the time to be celebrating. Soul hasn't passed yet," Sid said.

Maka drew back as she realized this, her joy completely forgotten. Soul was still taking the looked around with worry. She was in an empty classroom-sized room with Japanese canvas walls decorated with pictures of bamboo shoots. The ceiling and floor were made of polished wood that gleamed with purity. Maka had walked out of one of two identical doors. No doubt, the other one led to the room Soul was in. She gazed at it with worry, and then remembered Soul's words.

_Don't worry. I'll pass. Trust me._

That's right. That was all she could do now. Trust him. Soul would never betray her. He would never let her down-

Wait.

He would never betray her.

That meant-

The one he was going to choose-

_Shit._

* * *

Soul gritted his teeth in frustration. How much time had passed? It felt like it had been years. He couldn't possibly have that much time left. He needed to make a decision now. He thought about Maka. What was she going through right now? Did she finish already? Then he thought about their walk to the Academy and chuckled.

No amount of studying could prepare them for this.

_It's the same thing!  
_

_No it's not! One's going to be the right answer and the other one's going to be the wrong one!_

So which one was the right answer?

_Maka? Or DWMA?_

And then it hit him. He grinned.

_Sorry Maka, but you're wrong. _

And Soul put his pen on the paper-

And drew a circle-

Around everything.

* * *

"Sid, what's the time?" Maka asked with worry. Sid glanced at his watch.

"Eight fifty," he answered. Maka gave a cry of frustration and wrung her hands. Sid tried to cheer her up.

"Don't worry. You have next year. And they year after that," he said. Maka shot him a death glare that could surpass that of her mother's.

"No. My mother passed when she was a freshman. I have to do it too," she said. Sid took a step back, startled, but then regained his composure with a forced smile.

"Well, we'll see," he said. Another minute passed. Maka could barely take it anymore.

_Soul! Please pick the right answer…_

Another minute passed.

_Soul… Please answer…_

A slip of paper fluttered through the slit in the wall. Maka jumped, hope surging through her. Sid picked up the paper and examined it. His face turned distraught, and

Maka's heart skipped a beat.

"Interesting…" Sid breathed. Maka ran behind him and tried to peek over his shoulder to look at what Soul had circled. She could only see the right half of the paper.

To her utter horror, she found a line arching around the picture of her wielding the scythe. She felt all her hope shattered in an instant, to be replaced with anger and disappointment. Her eyes brimmed with tears.

_Soul… You…_

Sid opened the door. Soul shielded his eyes from the sudden light.

_I can't believe you…_

Soul spotted her and smiled, but it was quickly wiped away when he saw her shuddering.

"Maka… Did I…?" he asked.

The tears answered him well enough. Soul's shoulders drooped and he lowered his head. Maka clenched her fists and gritted her teeth.

_I trusted you…_

"You pass."

"What?" Soul and Maka said at the same time. They looked at Sid, who smiled at them. He showed them the two pieces of paper. Maka gasped when she saw what Soul had done. He had circled not just her, but everything else.

"But our answers are different," Maka said.

"So are you roles," Sid replied. "The weapon owes their loyalty to their meister, and the meister owes their loyalty to DWMA."

The two were still completely dumbfounded.

"But this is the first time I've seen anyone circle both their meister and DWMA," Sid noted. "You two make quite an interesting partnership… and you pass."

They looked at each other, their expressions still in complete disbelief.

_We… pass?_

Slowly, a smile crept up Soul's face, and it infected Maka as well. Maka wiped away her tears and grinned with giddy excitement. Soul returned the grin and held up his hand.

"High five!"

Maka laughed and hit her weapon's hand as hard as she could. Soul winced but grinned again.

"We passed!" he exclaimed.

"Yeah!" Maka shouted, equally as excited.

"Not yet."

Their celebration cut short as they both turned to face their teacher.

"You've passed the written portion, but now it's time for the physical one," Sid continued.

"Oh yeah… Who will we be fighting against?" Soul asked.

"Me," Sid answered. Soul gaped at him.

"You?!"

"Yes."

Sid set his clipboard with the two pieces of paper down and then moved to the center of the room.

"You two will fight me until I deem you suitable for active missions," he declared.

"This will be a piece of cake!" Soul grinned.

"Don't underestimate Sid, Soul," Maka warned.

"She's right," Sid said, and without further warning, lunged at them. A sharp pain suddenly screamed in Maka's gut. She gasped and fell back from the punch.

"Maka!" she heard Soul call. Then she heard him grunt, and moments later, he fell down too. Soul cursed and sat back up. Sid walked towards them and shook his head.

"At this rate, you two won't even pass," he said.

"Hey! We haven't even started yet!" Soul replied.

"Soul! Transform!" Maka yelled.

He did as he was told, and just in time. Sid lunged. Maka brought her weapon in front of her and blocked the fist with the handle. She shoved him back and then leapt to her feet.

"Good. That's much better," Sid smiled.

"Hey, now. You might actually die here," Soul taunted. "Shouldn't you have a weapon at least?"

Sid only smiled at the remark.

"I'm sure I'll do fine without one," he replied.

Maka swung her scythe at Sid. Sid ducked and brought his fist towards Maka's unprotected abdomen. Soul cursed, but it was too late. There was nothing they could do. Maka flew back several feet and landed on her back with a grunt.

"Maka! Get yourself together!"

"I'm _trying!_"

"Watch out!"

Sid swung his fist and Maka blocked it in the nick of time.

"Stop letting him get all these free attacks on you! Look! He's wide open!"

"I'm _trying,_ okay, Soul? Stop yelling at me! I don't see _you_ doing anything to help!"

"What? I'm watching your back!"

"You're distracting me!"

"I'm making sure you don't get hurt!"

"Oh, a fat lot of good _you've_ accomplished so far!"

Soul fell silent. Maybe he finally realized that he wasn't helping her at all. Good. Sid sighed and shook his head.

"At this rate, you two really won't pass," he said. Maka's temper, already heightened by Soul's stubbornness, flared at those words. She gave a battle cry and ran head on towards Sid. He frowned distastefully. When Maka got close, his hand became a blur. Maka felt a sharp pain on the side of her head and was thrown to the side. She fell down on her arm and her head hit the floor with a crack. She endured the pain with gritted teeth. Frustrated, she got back up and swung her blade desperately. Sid dodged the attack with ease and kicked Maka down. She cursed and stood back up. Again, she made a futile attempt, and again, she was thrown down.

"Maka," Soul spoke up. Maka gave a cry of frustration.

"I don't need your help, Soul!"

"Don't go fighting like such a dork."

"What?! Soul-"

"Listen to me, Maka."

She gritted her teeth.

_This had better be worth my time._

"You're just swinging me around and letting him read your every move."

"I don't need you to tell me that!"

"Maybe I haven't been able to protect you so far, but you're not doing any better without my help. We need to work together if we want to beat Sid."

"And how do you suppose we do _that?_"

"The first step would be to calm down and not let our emotions get the better of us."

Maka gritted her teeth. She hated to admit it, but he was right.

"Close your eyes. Take a deep breath."

"But Sid might-"

"Don't worry about it. I've got your back."

Maka groaned with resignation and did as she was told. She closed her eyes and sucked her lungs full. She held her breath for a second. Two.

"Good. Now breathe out."

Her breath left her in a calming sigh, carrying away all her frenzied rage and leaving her far more relaxed than before.

"Feeling better now?"

"Yeah…"

"Good. Now, concentrate. Can you feel my wavelength?"

"Wait a minute, Soul. How do you know so much about fighting when you never pay attention in class?"

He chuckled.

"I told you that you could trust me about these things, Maka."

She frowned. Soul never seemed to pay attention in class. He'd either just doze off or start a conversation with Black Star. He never did well on tests either. Trusting that he knew the material was something she found difficult to do.

"Now close your eyes, Maka. Can you feel my wavelength?"

Maka closed her eyes and focused her mind on the weapon in her hands. She had felt his wavelength before. She heard it when he played that dark melody in the empty ballroom. She just had to remember that enchanting tune, and then they could connect. She concentrated, and a few notes fluttered in her mind, but it wasn't enough. She pressed further. More notes danced together, and then disconnected once more. Maka frowned again. She never had a good musical perception, but she had to reach Soul.

There!

All at once, Soul's melody spilled into her thoughts like warm water and she felt power surge through her whole body. Maka opened her eyes and smiled triumphantly.

"There we go!" Soul exclaimed. "Now, let's take on Sid!"

Maka nodded in agreement. She looked her opponent in the eye and gripped her weapon firmly, although there wasn't really a need. With their wavelengths cooperating like this, Soul weighed absolutely nothing.

"You're going down," she said. Sid smiled.

"That's more like it," he replied.

Then he attacked. Maka ducked under the blow and swung her scythe. Sid jumped back just in time, but Maka didn't give him time to recover. She leapt forward and brought her scythe down. Sid sidestepped, and Soul's blade ended up embedded into the wooden floor. Maka tried to tug the scythe out, but Sid quickly swung his legs low. Maka's legs were swept out from under her. But instead of falling down, she gripped Soul firmly and twirled around on the handle, bringing her legs around. Her feet connected with Sid's head and he fell back with a grunt. Maka landed gracefully on her feet and pulled Soul out of the ground. Sid sat up and grinned.

"You're getting better," he said. Maka stopped for a moment. She was amazed by the feat she had just performed. She was quicker, lighter, and stronger, all because of her connection with Soul.

_I can win this fight._

Maka raised Soul and glared confidently at Sid. Then she advanced. Sid hovered on his toes, tensed. Then with a burst of speed, Maka lunged. She swung her scythe in a wide arc. Sid ducked under, but Maka immediately brought her knee towards his face. Sid deflected it with his hands but then the butt of Soul's scythe came around and hit him across the face. Sid fell down and Maka swung downwards. Sid rolled away just in time and leapt to his feet, but the scythe was already whistling towards him. He didn't have time to react. His eyes widened as he saw the incoming death blow. This was the end. Maka knew it. And as she realized this, time seemed to slow down.

_Wait… I'm not supposed to kill him!_

Maka tried to stop the scythe, but there was too much momentum from her wavelength's connection with Soul's. She gave a cry of desperation. Fear of the enormity of the finishing stroke coursed through her body. All at once, a force jarred her whole body. Soul was knocked out of her hands. His melody vanished along with his touch. Maka fell back, dazed by the sudden loss of power. She lay on the ground, struggling to define her surroundings, but they were all hazy and distorted.

_What the…_

When her senses finally returned, she heard clapping.

"Impressive!" a cheerful voice bellowed.

Maka sat up and spotted the source. Lord Death himself had appeared from a sliding door in the wall. He glanced at the proctor who sat on the floor.

"They pass, right?" he questioned.

"Yes. Definitely. They pass," Sid panted, getting to his feet. He smiled and offered his hand to Maka. She took it and he helped her up.

"Sid. You've been going too easy on them lately," Lord Death said. "This is the second time I've had to save you already."

"I'm very sorry, sir. These two just had an unexpectedly powerful soul connection, and I was caught off-guard by the previous one because he didn't have a meister."

"Well, enough of that," Lord Death said, and then turned to Maka. "Congratulations are in order, Maka. You are now officially a one-star meister."

"Thank you!" Maka said, beaming with pride. A groan emitted from behind her. Maka turned and gasped.

"Soul! What's wrong?" she cried. Her partner lay on the floor clutching his face with his hands.

"Oops," Lord Death chirped. "Maybe I put too much force into it. He took most of the damage from my chop."

"Not cool…" Soul muttered. Maka noticed the gloved hand protruding from Lord Death's black cloak.

_He almost knocked Soul out in his weapon form with just a hand chop?_

She gaped at the grim reaper with wonder. She should learn how to do that sometime.

"What happened?" Soul moaned, managing himself into a sitting position.

"Well... um..." Lord Death answered. "Sorry about that, but it was needed in order to save Sid's life."

"Did we… pass?"

"Yes."

Soul's face lit up, his pain forgotten.

"Alright!" he shouted, jumping up. But as soon as he did so, all his energy left him and he fell back down, unconscious. Maka facepalmed. Sid smiled.

"I can help you carry him, if you want," he offered.

"No, it's fine," Maka replied, maneuvering her body to lift her partner up on her back. She still owed him one for protecting her during that witch attack. But she began having second thoughts about her decision as she struggled to lift her partner up. He was _heavy._

"Where's the exit?" Maka huffed.

Sid directed her to the door that Lord Death had appeared from. Maka nodded her thanks and then began to walk towards the exit. She stumbled under Soul's weight.

"Are you sure you don't need my help?" Sid asked.

Maka was about to reject the offer again when she felt something wet seep through her shirt on her shoulder. Her weapon was drooling again.

"Ew, Soul!"

She dropped her partner on the spot. He hit the floor with a thud but didn't wake up. Maka tried to wipe her shirt with her gloves, but it was no use. She gave another cry of disgust. Sid chuckled and spoke up again.

"I'll help you carry him."

* * *

**Drool ftw. XD.**

**Anyways, any guesses who the only other person to beat Sid is?**


	10. First Mission Ever Part I

**Back now, and we're starting a new ark! This one's got more bloodshed, just to let you know. ;)**

**Disclaimer: I like pie.**

* * *

Chapter 10: First Mission Ever Part I

* * *

"Maka! Wake up!" Soul called, banging on his meister's bedroom door. He heard a groan. A moment later, the door opened and his partner appeared with her bed-hair strewn about her head like a mop.

"WHAT, SOUL?!"

Soul stepped back, surprised, and then regained his composure.

"Come on! Let's go pick a mission!" he said excitedly.

"Maka…"

"What? No, Maka wait-"

"CHOP!"

An explosion of lights danced across his eyes as an equally eruptive pain speared down on the top of his head. Soul fell and curled up in a fetal position on the floor. He clutched his skull and groaned.

"IT'S FIVE AM, SOUL! THE ACADEMY DOESN'T EVEN OPEN AT THIS TIME!"

* * *

"I can't believe you actually woke up before me, Soul," Maka said distastefully as she stirred her coffee. "And you just had to interrupt my beauty sleep, too."

"It's payback for all those times that you dragged me out of bed," Soul grinned. "Come on! Let's hurry up and go!"

He was practically bouncing on the edge of his seat. His breakfast was finished, and he had even volunteered to wash the dishes.

"You must really be eager to get that first soul."

"Of course! I've been waiting for a whole week!"

It was true. Soul was hospitalized for seven days from Lord Death's chop. During that time, he wouldn't stop pestering the nurses about when he could finally be released. Every time she visited, Maka found Soul extremely weakened, but insistent that he was fine.

"But you just got out of the infirmary, Soul. We shouldn't rush things like this," Maka stated. She was probably equally as excited as Soul was for their first mission ever, but another emotion overwhelmed that one: Anxiety.

Now that it was feasible, a life-threatening battle situation didn't seem as inviting as she had imagined. Maka recalled all those nights that they had spent together on the rooftop of their apartment complex because their AC was broken. They would lie down with their heads pointed at one another and stargaze dreamily for hours and hours.

And they'd talk, romanticizing what the missions would be like, or how cool it would be to become the world's strongest Death Scythe, or how souls tasted, or how many stars there actually were in the sky, or anything else that came to mind, until sleep took them.

They had always conversed excitedly about achieving their dream, but they had never really considered the dangerous path they would have to take. Their lives would be put on the line. Reality would hit them like a bulldozer, and Maka wanted to be prepared for it. Rushing things would not be a wise move.

"It'll be fine, Maka! Trust me!"

Soul flashed her that shark-toothed smile of his.

_He's so excited…_

Maka sighed and relented.

"Alright, but let me finish my coffee first."

* * *

"So which one should we pick?"

"I'm thinking, Soul. Don't disturb me."

Soul groaned impatiently and watched as his partner psychoanalyzed _every single_ mission posted on the board.

"Can't we just pick one and go?"

"No, Soul. The missions have varying difficulties. They're ranked from A to D, with A being the hardest and D being the easiest. Then there are missions even harder than A-level missions. They're ranked S."

"Alright, then let's pick an S one!"

"No! Absolutely not! Don't you know how dangerous these can be?"

"Of course! But don't worry, we'll be fine! Let's hurry up and pick one!"

"No! I'm going to pick one that I'm sure we can accomplish."

Soul sighed. Maka was being way too cautious. She'd probably end up picking a boring D-leveled mission about looking for a soul that was already taken from its body. That wasn't cool at all.

"Here, let's do this one."

Soul looked at his meister's choice with surprise.

"But that's a B-level mission," he noted, and then smirked. "What happened to being cautious?"

"I am being cautious. You just wouldn't shut up about picking a dangerous one. This is as dangerous as I'm willing to go, for now."

Soul flashed his smile.

"I like it. So what's the mission?"

"Our target is a mass murderer named Horace Malady. He is currently located in the town just down the highway. He's-"

"Sweet! Let's go!"

"I know, I know! Calm down!"

Maka handed the piece of paper to the woman at the desk.

"Horace Malady, huh?" the lady asked. "Is this your first mission?"

"Yes ma'am," Maka answered.

"Well, good luck and be safe!" the woman smiled, stamping the paper. "When you're done, report back to here."

They thanked the lady and headed off to start their first mission ever.

* * *

They were walking down the steps of DWMA when it hit her.

"Wait, Soul!" Maka cried. Her weapon stopped, startled.

"What is it?" he asked.

"We don't have a car! How are we supposed to get to the town?"

Soul smirked at her.

"Don't worry. I've got a ride for us," he said. Maka was astounded at this.

A ride? Since when?

Ten minutes later, they were back at their apartment. Maka was curious what kind of car Soul had. She followed her partner to the shabby car lot. But to her surprise, Soul walked right past the lot. He reached a bike rack and grabbed one of the vehicles there.

A motorcycle.

"Soul-"

"Pretty cool, huh?" he smirked. Maka's mouth hung open for a moment.

A motorcycle.

"I can't ride that!" she cried.

"Why not?"

"It's… it's…"

"You're scared, aren't you?"

"I'm not scared! It's just…"

"Just what?"

"Can't we call for a taxicab?"

"A taxicab… in Death City."

"Or maybe a limo?"

"You want to waste all that money?"

Maka frowned uncomfortably. Soul was toying with her. She knew it. He had that evil smirk plastered on his face.

"Yes."

"Maka-"

"A-anything but that!"

"We could walk."

Maka bit her lip.

"Or I could carry you."

"Absolutely not!"

Soul laughed.

"You're scared," he said. Maka blushed with embarrassment. While the motorcycle would save them money from having to call a limousine and it was _definitely_ the most gas-efficient vehicle on the roads, it was also dangerous and offered zero protection.

"Come on. It'll be fine, Maka."

She continued to stand there with a worried frown on her face. Soul sighed.

"Don't be unreasonable now, Maka. If you can't even handle this, then how are we going to defeat a kishin egg?"

Maka groaned.

"Alright, we'll ride your stupid motorcycle!"

Soul smirked and wheeled his cycle out onto the street. Maka followed reluctantly.

She had seen the flashy vehicle before, but had never really wondered who it belonged to. Now that she observed it close up, she could see that it was plainly Soul's. It was painted orange and black, with jagged teeth patterns decorating its outline. Even the license plate was labeled SOUL. A big waste of money, in her opinion.

Soul mounted the motorcycle and turned the ignition. The vehicle roared to life and Maka let out an involuntary yelp. Soul grinned and patted the small space behind him.

"Get on," he invited.

Maka approached the growling creature cautiously, immediately having second thoughts about getting on the death machine. How had Soul managed to convince her to do this again?

"Come on, don't worry," Soul said with a smile.

Maka hesitated. Soul sighed.

"Do you trust me, Maka?"

Maka groaned in resignation and proceeded to get on the demonic metal contraption. She gingerly seated herself behind her partner, taking care not to touch his back.

"That's not safe, Maka. You're going to have to hold on to me."

"O-okay…"

She carefully placed her hands on his shoulders.

"No, not like that. Wrap your arms around my waist."

Maka blushed profusely.

"Soul-"

He revved the engine and the monster let out a ferocious growl. Maka yelped and before she knew it, she had her arms wrapped around his waist and her chest pressed tightly against his back. Soul burst into laughter. Maka's blush deepened.

"Soul! That wasn't funny-"

He released the breaks and the motorcycle took off. Maka screamed and held on for dear life.

_"Sooouuul you bastaaaaaaaard!"_

She could barely hear her own voice over the roar of the wind. The temperature dropped from burning Nevada heat to cold freezing in just a couple seconds. She was suddenly very grateful for her black trench coat.

_"Slow dooooooown!"_

Soul laughed and revved the accelerator harder. The wind roared even louder in her ears. Maka let out a wail and buried her face into her partner's back, wishing it would all end.

"I'm going to kill you when we get off, Soul Eater!" she cried. Soul only laughed at this.

"Nope. You're going to thank me if we get off at all."

The very thought ran her blood cold. She screwed her eyes shut and held onto her partner with a death grip, hoping that they would survive.

She was never listening to Soul ever again.

* * *

"Hey Maka, do we stop at this town?" Soul called out.

No reply.

"Maka!"

She was still silent.

Soul cursed. They had reached a small town at the end of the highway, but he wasn't sure if it was the right one.

"Maka!" he called again. He felt the pressure on his back lift slightly. His meister's answer came out soft and barely audible.

"Yeah, it's this one."

Soul pulled up at a car lot and parked the cycle. Even after they had stopped, Maka still had a death grip around his waist. Soul turned and regarded his meister with raised eyebrows.

"Do you want to let go of me now?" Soul asked. Maka blushed and immediately let go. Soul laughed.

"So how was the ride, bookworm?" He asked.

"It was NOT COOL!" she shouted. The infamous chop followed right after, leaving an aching pain on the top of Soul's head as his meister stormed off.

But Soul chuckled nonetheless. His language was rubbing off on her.

"Stop laughing, Soul! It wasn't funny!"

"Alright, alright."

Maka turned and glared at him. Soul smirked again. Maka turned back around, making an exasperated noise, and headed off.

"Wait, Maka. Where are we going?" Soul called, hurrying to catch up.

"We've got to scout out the town."

"Scout out the town?"

"We need to familiarize ourselves with our surroundings so that we can fight better tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Of course! Kishin eggs usually hunt at night!"

Soul did not know this. He had expected them to beat the crap out of Malady and then be back home for lunch.

"What? I thought we'd be home by noon!"

"No, we won't! We'll be staying here the whole day! Now hurry up, Soul!"

Soul sighed and followed after his meister.

This was going to be harder than he expected.

* * *

**Oh god, you guys are catching up fast. I'm such a slow writer. -.-**


	11. First Mission Ever Part II

**Hey, sorry for the long wait again. I'm really scared that you guys are going to catch up soon. XD Here is part 2 of our biggest ark yet!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maka Albarn. She belongs to Soul.**

* * *

Chapter 11: First Mission Ever Part II

* * *

"Hey Maka! Let's eat here!"

"Where?"

Soul pointed at the restaurant he remembered visiting when he was a kid. It was one of his favorites. Here was a small joy from his childhood that he had left behind, and the nostalgia that came from the logo's simple design made his stomach growl.

Soul was starving because they had been touring the whole entire town for hours. Maka had even insisted that they skip lunch to scout out a cemetery, which was a totally uncool decision. Needless to say, Soul was ready for some chow time, and the mouthwatering promises that this restaurant conveyed were tempting beyond imagination.

Maka looked at the direction he was pointing. She made a face.

"Seafood?" she said distastefully.

"What's wrong?" Soul asked, his expression changing from excitement to worry. Maka looked at him for a moment and then sighed.

"Nothing. Let's eat there."

Soul gave a shout of joy.

"The stuff's pretty expensive, but I'll pay for it," he grinned. "They have the best seafood in town."

Then he charged into the restaurant, blissfully unaware of his meister's downhearted expression.

* * *

Three minutes later, they were seated in a dimly lit booth. The restaurant was dark. The only light came from small lamps that hung from the ceiling over each booth.

There were barely any other people there, which Maka found strange. If this place was as good as Soul said it was, then there should be more customers than this on a Saturday night.

"Oh man, I haven't eaten here in years," Soul grinned.

Maka regarded the menu she held before her with disgust. Hardly anything on there _wasn't_ seafood.

"Maka! You should try their lobster!" Soul said. Maka managed a fake smile.

"I think I'll pass," she said. Soul stared at her for a moment, but then went back to drooling over the menu.

Maka shook her head with disgust and sighed. She had only agreed to come here because of how excited Soul looked. It was clear that he had used to eat at this place, and he loved the food here. Maka was glad that her best friend was enjoying himself, although she herself was probably going to leave with an empty stomach.

Still, she had to be courteous and order _something._

Maka scanned the menu again, looking for something that wasn't too disgusting. A fish salad caught her attention. That couldn't be too bad. She could finish most of the salad and leave the fish. She closed the menu and set it on the table, taking a book out to read.

A couple minutes later, a burly waiter engaged them.

"Are you two ready to order?" he asked.

"Yeah," Soul grinned, and before being asked, he said, "I'll have the Lobster Newberg."

"You must be starving," the waiter chuckled. Soul only nodded in agreement with that shark-toothed grin plastered on his face. The waiter turned to face Maka.

"And what would you like, miss?"

"I'll have the fish salad," she said.

"Alright, then," the waiter said, picking up their menus. "I'll be right back with the food."

* * *

After the waiter left, Soul turned his attention to Maka.

"Aren't you excited?" he exclaimed. "We'll finally be getting our first kishin egg!"

"Soul. It's not as easy as it sounds," Maka replied.

"Yeah, but we're not as weak as you think. We beat Sid!"

"That was only because he was going easy on us."

"But still. We beat Sid."

"It doesn't mean anything."

"Man, why are you so depressed, Maka?"

"I'm not depressed."

Soul stared at his meister. There was definitely something up with her, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. She was clearly upset about something, and he didn't like that. If Maka was upset, it usually ended up in lots of shouting and lots of Maka Chops. The last thing he needed would be to get a concussion right before their first major battle. But Soul resisted the urge to ask her, at least for now. He had always told her before that she could trust him and that she could talk to about him anything she wanted. If she wanted to keep something to herself, then he shouldn't press it further.

Soul studied his meister's face again. She had started reading, so he couldn't really see her expression. He sighed and turned away, only to be enlightened by the fact that their food had arrived. The burly waiter appeared and set a measly salad down in front of Maka. Then he set another plate down in front of Soul.

"Careful. It's hot," he said. Soul grinned and forgot about his meister's plight.

It was chow time.

* * *

It was a matter of minutes before Soul finished ripping his lobster to shreds. Maka, on the other hand, had barely touched her food. She had avoided most of the fish, but that didn't help, because the rest of the salad also reeked of seafood. Soul looked inquisitively at her.

"Aren't you hungry?" he asked.

"Yeah, of course," Maka replied quickly. She then made a valiant effort to stab one of the pieces of fish with her fork and put it in her mouth. She gulped down the meat with a grimace, but then smiled. Soul did not seem so convinced.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Nothing's wrong," she replied quickly. She didn't want to ruin his meal by letting him know that she was suffering. He was excited for the upcoming battle and he got to enjoy his favorite food. If he found out she didn't like seafood, not only would he interrogate her about keeping it a secret, he'd stop eating and leave the restaurant on the spot and treat her to some other place. That would definitely _not_ turn out well. She still wanted to thank him for helping her pass the One-Star Qualifications Exam, because she surely would've failed it without him.

"Maka… are you hiding something?"

"I'm not hiding anything, Soul."

He regarded her smile for a moment longer before returning his attention to his leftovers. Maka sighed with relief. After another twenty minutes, she finally finished the salad. Hopefully, she hadn't made too big of a scene out of it…

"Maka, do you hate seafood?"

Oops.

* * *

Maka tried to smile.

"There's nothing wrong with it."

"You obviously don't like it."

"No, it was the salad that I didn't like."

"Then clearly, you would've ordered something else."

Caught.

Maka sighed, and Soul grew angry.

"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.

"I wanted you to enjoy your favorite food."

"So? That doesn't mean you should suffer for it."

"Soul, I did this for _you!"_

"Dammit, Maka. I don't want to know that I tortured my meister for half an hour just so I could have some of my favorite food. It's not cool."

"Cool this! Cool that! Can't you just let go of it for a second? I _chose_ not to let you know! I wanted you to be happy! I wanted to repay you for helping me pass the exam!"

"If you want to repay me, you should do it by getting us that first soul."

Maka opened her mouth to retort but then closed it. She grew quiet and lowered her eyes.

"Can't you just relax and forget about hurting me?"

Soul glared at his meister, but he was mad at himself for letting her suffer so easily. They were _never_ going to eat seafood ever again.

"All done here?" the waiter asked.

Soul jumped. He hadn't noticed him standing there.

"Yeah, it's cool," Soul said grumpily. The waiter smiled.

"Good. It's always bad when a young couple gets angry at each other in our restaurant."

"W-what?" Soul blushed. "It's not anything like that! We're just partners! We're from DWMA!"

He stood up hastily, putting the cash on the table.

"Oh, you're from DWMA?" the waiter asked suddenly. Soul stopped.

"Yes. Why?"

"Are you here to get rid of that guy?" the waiter asked excitedly. This piqued Soul's interest.

"Which guy?" Maka asked, standing up.

"Well, lately, there has been a murderer stalking around this area, which is why we don't get very many customers anymore," the waiter explained. "It would be great if you guys finally got rid of him."

"Yeah, we're after him," Maka said. "Any idea where to find him?"

"Well, he usually hunts near this restaurant at night, and usually in the dark alleys without lights," the waiter said, then frowned. "But is it just you two? Are you sure you'll be fine?"

"Don't worry, it's cool," Soul grinned. "Come on! Let's go, Maka!"

They rushed out of the building excitedly, forgetting about their previous drama.

"Good luck!" the waiter called after them.

The sun had already set when they came out, and the moon chuckled ominously in the sky as they observed their surroundings.

"He usually hunts in the dark alleys…" Soul said, repeating the waiter's words earlier. "…So let's go walk down one and bait him to attack us."

"Alright," Maka said softly. Soul looked at her, and for a moment, saw traces of an emotion on her face that he had never seen before, but it quickly vanished beneath her usual confident look.

_What was that?_ Soul wondered.

"Which one?" Maka asked.

Soul eyed the numerous dark alleyways that infested every corner. He pointed at the scariest one he could find. Absolutely no light shone on it, and a bone that had been gnawed on lay visibly in the entrance.

"Let's go to that one," Soul said adventurously. Maka nodded, but Soul noticed that she was paler than usual.

"What's wrong?" Soul asked.

"N-nothing's wrong! I'm just a bit nervous," Maka said.

Soul frowned at her. She smiled reassuringly.

"Whatever," Soul said, heading into the alleyway. Maka followed reluctantly. They walked for about several yards before the darkness completely nullified their vision.

Soul noticed Maka press closer to him. This had him worried.

_What's up with her?_ He wondered.

Did eating seafood make her like this? Was she afraid of the dark? To be honest, Soul had never seen his meister frightened before. She was always either full of confidence or anger, and she was always on top of things. Even after he had earned her trust, she still had a bad habit of handling everything on her own and pushing her true emotions deep inside of herself. He hoped that whatever was affecting her wouldn't hamper their eventual fight with the kishin egg.

Soul was broken out of his thoughts by a voice behind them.

"Hey there."

* * *

Maka froze, fear coursing through her whole body.

"It's not safe to walk in the alleys at night," the voice continued slyly. "Because you might get stabbed by someone like me!"

Maka yelped and turned around. There was a loud clang and then a grunt. Maka couldn't see what was going on.

"Back off!" Soul called out of the darkness. The struggle in the shadows stopped. Then there was a sinister chuckle.

"You're better than I thought," the mischievous voice said.

"Maka! I'm transforming!" Soul said. Moments later, something solid fell into her hands.

"You two are from DWMA?" the man wondered aloud.

"Yeah. You'd better watch out," Soul replied.

But the man only chuckled.

"Now I can finally have the soul of a weapon!" he said. "And before _he_ does too!"

Something moved in the darkness. Half a second later, something painful sliced across Maka's cheek. She cried out.

"Maka? What's wrong?" Soul cried. But she didn't reply. She stood frozen in the darkness, shaking with fear. A fear that had been building up ever since that morning.

It grew and grew, growing upon the motorcycle ride and the darkness. She was gripped in its vise, unable to move or comprehend anything except her imminent doom.

"Maka! Say something!" Soul cried.

But she couldn't. Her knees were shaking. Her tongue refused to move. She only stood there as something moved in the darkness once more. She watched helplessly as the weapon in her hands contorted and leapt in front of her. She did nothing as she heard her partner's grunt of pain.

"Maka! Pull yourself together!"

But she couldn't. A monster now occupied her mind, controlling her.

A monster called fear.

* * *

**Ahaha, another cliff hanger. I'm getting better at these. :) **

**There's a story behind everything, so this was the story behind how Soul knows Maka hates seafood. Oh, and just to let you know, there will be quite a lot of character development in this ark. LOTS. :)**


	12. First Mission Ever Part III

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Eater. He belongs to Maka. ;)**

* * *

Chapter 12: First Mission Ever Part III

* * *

Soul didn't know what was going on. He didn't know why his meister was frozen in place. What he _did_ know was that he had to protect her. And he was going to do so with his life, which was precisely why he took the knife for her. It grazed his side, but it still cut open a wound. Soul gritted his teeth and shouted at his meister.

"Maka! Pull yourself together!"

Still no reply.

Soul cursed and turned. He grabbed his meister by her arm, flung her onto his back, and started running. The kishin egg followed in close pursuit. Soul shouted at his meister as he ran.

"Maka! Snap out of it! Maka!"

She was gripping him with a strength similar to when she held on to him on the motorcycle.

When she held on to him for dear life.

Soul cursed. Now he understood. That feeling that she was trying to hide from him throughout the day… it was fear. It had been building up and up because the _stupid girl_ just couldn't let it out and talk to him about it. How many times had he told her to trust him? Why couldn't she listen just once? Now, since they didn't take care of it while it was small, it had grown and was controlling her mind.

Soul ran around several corners and stopped to catch his breath and listen. The footsteps behind them had vanished. He regarded his dark surroundings suspiciously. From behind him came a quite chuckle.

Soul cursed and took off like the wind. He sprinted down alleyways and barely slowed down around corners. He pumped his legs, suddenly grateful for all that hellish training he had to endure. He ignored the burning pain that was beginning to develop in his muscles, focused only on keeping himself and his meister alive. Turn after turn, the darkness persisted, as did their pursuer. Finally, when he felt that his legs couldn't possibly move another inch, he saw light.

_Yes!_

Soul slowed down as he reached the opening and listened again.

No sign of their pursuer.

_Did we lose him?_

Warily, Soul ventured out onto the brightly lit street. Maka still hadn't made a single movement. Soul dumped her onto a trash bag and looked furiously at her.

"Maka! Snap out of it now!" he shouted. She shivered where she laid, her limbs drooping limply and her eyes staring fearfully at nothing. All the confidence was gone. All the Maka Albarn was gone.

There was only terror.

"Maka!"

She blinked.

Soul groaned and pulled at his hair with frustration. He was angry at her for trying to handle it all on her own. He was angry at himself for not figuring it out sooner and helping her with it.

Soul kneeled down and grabbed his meister by her shoulders.

"Maka, look at me!" he said. Slowly, her terrified eyes gazed at him.

"Get it together!" Soul shouted. "Are you listening to me, Maka?"

She shook uncontrollably, but she made a motion that was hopefully a nod.

"Don't give up before you even fight! There's absolutely nothing to be afraid of!"

Another nod.

"You're gonna make me the world's strongest Death Scythe, right? So you can stick it to your womanizing dad, right?! How are we supposed to do that if you can't even fight one kishin egg?"

She wasn't shaking anymore, but her eyes still had that terrified gaze.

"Are you listening to me? There's nothing to be afraid of! I'm here to protect you! This guy's a piece of cake! He's nothing compared to Sid!"

She opened her mouth.

"Soul…"

He groaned with relief. Maka said something.

_She finally said something._

She wasn't back to full-blown, fire-breathing, book-slamming yet, but at least it was a start.

"S-soul…"

"What?"

"L-look out! Behind you!"

* * *

Time seemed to slow down.

The kishin egg towered behind Soul with his hand raised. The blade was poised and ready to strike, hovering like a deadly snake. The man's grin stretched sadistically from ear to ear, promising pain and doom. The terror gripped her once more.

It was here. It was coming. Death was coming.

The knife closed in for the kill.

And something clicked inside of Maka.

_Don't give up before you even fight!_

What had she been thinking?

_There's nothing to be afraid of!_

He'd been protecting her ever since they became partners.

_I'm here to protect you!_

Hell, he'd been protecting her _before_ they became partners.

_It'll be fine, Maka!_

Why should she doubt him now?

_This guy's a piece of cake!_

Why would she doubt anything he said?

_Do you trust me, Maka?_

_Do I?..._

"Soul! Transform!"

Her weapon immediately did as he was told, morphing into a deadly scythe. The last to go was his sharp-toothed grin. Maka grabbed the weapon and kicked upwards with both her feet. The man fell back with a grunt. Maka leapt to her feet and took a deep breath.

She was scared. She was terrified that she was going to die. But she knew that Soul would protect her. She knew she had to fight. So she willed her body to move, despite its screaming protests, despite the horrifying fear that clutched her, despite every instinct to run.

The man grinned evilly and advanced.

Maka held her ground.

Then the man lunged. For a split moment, Maka was frozen with fear again, but she steeled herself.

_I'm here to protect you!_

Maka dodged to the side and swung her scythe in a wide arc. The man blocked the blade with his knife just in time. Maka brought her knee up and slammed the kishin egg in the stomach. He gasped and fell back. Maka hefted the scythe, preparing for the next attack. The man recovered. They stood and regarded one another for a moment. Then the kishin egg advanced again, this time more slowly. Maka made a daring move.

She attacked first, swinging her scythe wide. The man was caught by surprise. He barely deflected the blow but then threw a punch at Maka. She couldn't dodge it in time. She fell back with a yelp.

"Maka! Are you alright!?"

She sat there, frozen with fear once more. The pain was real. It was deadly. It was terrifying.

_I can't do this! I can't do this!_

"Maka! Get up!"

She tried but she couldn't. She was shaking again.

"Maka!" Soul shouted.

She jolted and regained control of her body. The man made a stab for her throat. Maka willed her body to move. She jabbed the butt of the scythe outwards, hitting the man in the stomach and keeping his knife just barely out of reach. He gasped again and stumbled backwards. Maka clambered to her feet, still shaking, but holding her scythe firmly.

"Breathe, Maka. You gotta breathe."

She took a shuddering gasp of air. She could hear her heart pumping. Her body was tensed and screaming with terror. She gripped Soul firmly and the screaming lessened. The kishin egg stared at her and she stared back. Neither moved. Seconds ticked by, and her nerve went with them.

One-

Two-

Sweat trickled down her forehead-

Three-

The anxiety-

The anticipation-

Four-

She couldn't help it.

She blinked.

In an instant, the kishin egg was upon her. Maka screamed and leapt back, squeezing her eyes shut. She heard Soul call her name and she opened them. The kishin egg made a stab for her. She dodged it and swung the scythe. The kishin egg dodged her attack in return. The two opponents danced in this fashion, biting and pulling back alternately like fencers locked in a duel.

"Careful, Maka. Don't let the knife get too close. We have a longer reach," Soul instructed.

Maka tried to do as she was told, threatening the man to back off with her scythe. The kishin egg held his ground. Maka waved her scythe closer but then the man suddenly attacked. Maka yelped.

She stepped back-

And tripped over a trash bag.

A smile of triumph stretched across the man's face. He closed in for the kill.

Maka screamed-

The knife descended-

She closed her eyes-

Heard her name-

And-

The scythe-

Almost moving on its own-

And-

A cry of pain-

Blood-

Blood everywhere-

_Blood-_

So _warm_-

And-

The kishin egg reared back, screaming in agony. Maka opened her eyes as she felt warm liquid splatter onto her face.

Blood.

Rich, red, and dark.

The man screamed and grasped the stub of his hand. It had been sliced off. The knife lay harmlessly on the ground.

"Maka! Now's our chance!" Soul shouted.

But she could hardly control her body.

Blood.

_Oh god _it was so_ red.  
_

_So dark._

"Maka! Move!"

She jolted upright. The man staggered and tried to run.

"Now, Maka!"

She stood on her shaky legs.

"He's getting away!"

She took a step-

Then another-

She lifted her scythe-

Another step-

Her target staggered-

His hand-

_So much blood-_

The blade glinted in the moonlight-

The man turned-

She was upon him-

The scythe raised-

And the look in his eyes-

So much _terror_-

His face contorted-

Tried to scream-

Pure terror-

The blade fell-

Passed through his body-

Made _sickening_ noises-

And his face-

_Convulsing-_

With mouth agape-

A scream she hardly heard-

A scream of pain-

Of death-

With eyes bulging-

Tongue constricting-

Every inch of face-

Showing pure torment-

Showing everything-

The _pain-  
_

_Agony-  
_

_Loss-  
_

_Regret-  
_

_Anguish-  
_

_Suffering-_

And above all else-

The _fear…_

_..._

_Oh god, what have I done?_

* * *

Soul pulled free of the kishin egg. By some magical force, the two halves of its body turned into black blobs and vanished. In its place floated a glowing red soul. Maka let go and Soul grinned with triumph as he returned to his human form.

"We did it, Maka!" he said.

He eagerly stepped forward and grabbed the soul. It was the first time he had ever touched one. It felt squishy to his touch, but at the same time weighed absolutely nothing. Soul grinned, feeling drool coming out the side of his mouth already.

"We got our first soul ever!"

He turned to see his meister's reaction. To his utter shock, she had sunk to her knees and was shaking badly- even worse than when the kishin egg was alive.

"Maka! What's wrong?" Soul cried, but before he knew it, his meister had emptied her fish salad onto the sidewalk in a disgusting puddle. Soul let go of the soul in his hand and rushed to Maka's side. He kneeled down and placed his hand on her shoulder, but the moment he made contact, she jolted and gave a squeak of terror. Soul let go in surprise as if he was hit with electricity. Another convulsion, and more fish salad came up. Soul shuddered but didn't leave his meister's side. Then, all at once, Maka was pressed against his chest, shaking uncontrollably.

She was crying.

"Soul!" she sobbed.

"Wha… what?" Soul stuttered, completely shocked by the sudden change in her condition. Her light voice was strangled into wails of terror.

"M-Maka?"

He was unsure of what to do. He had never seen her cry this much before. He had never seen her so weak.

The short-tempered, book-wielding, fire-breathing Maka Albarn was crying.

"S-Soul… I- I-"

He didn't know what to do. He wanted to comfort her, but he didn't know how. He sat there hesitantly, unmoving, as she cried.

Soul watched as his meister's shaking grew worse. Finally, he made a decision. Awkwardly, slowly, he wrapped his arms around her shivering body.

"I-It's alright, Maka," he said, but was cut off by her shaky voice.

"I- I- I… I was _so scared!"_

Soul stiffened in surprise.

"I was… I was so close to death! _You_ were so close to death! We were inches away from death!"

Still unsure of the best course of action, Soul tried rubbing her back. It did nothing to help.

"Even after you- you… calmed me down… I was still _so scared!"_

Soul listened to her cries gravely as she shook in his arms.

"And then… when I c-cut off his hand… _there was so much blood!"_

She buried her face into his chest, her breaths ragged and desperate.

"And- and- and… r-right before I killed him… I saw- I saw… his eyes and-"

She took a deep, shuddering breath.

"_Oh god,_ the _look_ in his _eyes!_ He was scared too! He didn't want to d-die either! But I killed him! I- I- I- k-"

Her voice broke off with a shudder. For a moment, she looked like she was going to vomit again, but she held it in.

"I… I _killed_ him! B-because if I didn't, he- he'd kill _us!_ Why did this have to _happen_, Soul?"

Her tears seeped through his jacket, mixed with the man's blood that was still on her face.

"What have I _done!?_ Did he… did he have a family? Will they hate me now? Will they hate me for k-killing him? _Oh god!_ _What have I done?"_

Her shaking grew worse and worse. Soul tried to soothe her by rubbing her back and rocking back and forth. She cried and cried and cried.

"It's alright, Maka," Soul said quietly. "It's alright."

"But I k-killed someone! A-and when I did it… the _look_ on his face! There was- there was every painful emotion ever! And I caused it! I-I'm a monster!"

"Maka," Soul growled. "You're _not_ a monster. That kishin egg was the real monster."

She shook but quieted down as he continued to say calming words.

"You didn't kill anyone, Maka. You just got rid of a monster, that's all. It's alright. Everything's alright."

He continued to rock her back and forth, repeating those calming words over and over.

"It's alright. It's alright."

She sniffled and shook but he gently rubbed her back, soothing her.

"Everything's alright. Everything's alright."

Slowly but surely, her sobbing lessened, and the tears stopped their steady flow.

"You didn't kill anyone today, Maka."

The shaking gradually reduced as his meister returned to serenity. The tension within her loosened, the venom leaving through her steadily calming sobs. Finally, the shaking stopped. After a moment longer she gently pulled away from him and spoke.

"Thanks, Soul. I'm feeling better now," she smiled.

Relief flooded his whole body.

"No problem," Soul grinned.

"But… you're wrong, Soul."

Soul frowned at her.

"I _did_ kill someone today. That fact won't change," she began. "Pretending that I didn't is just running away from the truth, and I'm not going to do that. I'm going to face it here and now and move on. After all, how am I supposed to make you a death scythe if I break down after every fight?"

Soul grinned with approval.

"_That's_ the girl I partnered with," he said.

Maka giggled.

"Then, how about this?" Soul suggested. "Before you fight someone, you declare their name, their crimes, and that you are here for their soul. That way, you're not running away from the truth at all."

Maka considered it for a moment and then broke into a smile.

"Horace Malady. Mass murderer known for killing his victims with blunt objects. I am here for your soul," she said with fake menace.

"Sounds cool, doesn't it?" Soul grinned.

Maka giggled with agreement.

But then she froze.

Soul's heart skipped a beat.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Maka whispered, pulling closer to him once more.

"Yeah…"

_Mass murderer known for killing his victims with blunt objects._

"That man had a knife."

"Which means…"

From behind them there was a footstep. Soul jumped and whirled around to look at the dark alleyway behind them. His heart raced at a million beats per minute.

From the darkness stepped out a man wielding a massive crowbar that lay lazily on his shoulder. Soul took a sharp breath.

It was their waiter from the restaurant.

Lazily, the man grabbed the discarded soul floating in the air and ate it in a gulp. He relished in its taste with a smack of his lips and a satisfied sigh. Then he grinned evilly at them and spoke.

"You called for me?"

* * *

**mwuahaha... more cliffhangers. :)**

**Okay, I've never seen Maka break down before, so that last scene was really hard for me to write, but I knew it had to be like that. XD I mean, for her first kill ever, she did not simply slice someone in half and then walk away totally cool with it, "C'mon Soul, let's go home now." No. That's not how it goes. It takes _time_ to become the merciless killing machine that she is today. **

**Once you've killed someone with your own hands, you realize that you've stepped into a whole different dimension, one with horror and pain and death, in which normal rules of society don't apply. It's kill or be killed, and the first kill is always the hardest. Once you've went down the path, there's no turning back. There's no atoning for killing someone. And even someone like Maka falls sometimes, but at least Soul will be there to catch her when she does. :)**


	13. First Mission Ever Part IV

**Hello! You guys have officially caught up with me! XD The next chapter is _the_ chapter that I'm working on right now, and I'm working really slowly X(**

**Disclaimer: I _do_ own Horace Malady.**

* * *

Chapter 13: First Mission Ever Part IV

* * *

Neither of them moved, mouths agape in shock, barely registering the turn of events. The waiter sighed.

"I was hoping you two wouldn't figure it out," he said. "Then I didn't have to come out here and kill you."

Maka was the first to recover.

"You... you're the real Horace Malady, aren't you?" she hissed.

The waiter's smile only widened.

"Indeed"

"Then who was that man?" Soul asked.

Horace's smile sharpened slyly.

"It's a secret."

"He was your accomplice, wasn't he?" Maka demanded.

The smile wavered.

"He was your partner, but you set him up, didn't you?"

Horace's eyes darkened.

"You wanted us to kill him, so we would think you were dead, right!? So you'd get off of Lord Death's list, right?"

Maka stood up angrily.

"That man didn't want to die! But you set him up!"

Horace wasn't smiling anymore.

"Clever little girl. Now you know too much. Now you must die."

"We'll see about that," she said. "Soul! Transform!"

"We'll make you pay for taking our soul," Soul warned.

He leapt into Maka's hands and she twirled him around. Without warning, she attacked. But Horace was just as quick. Metal met metal with a loud clang that echoed across the night. The crowbar locked with the scythe as both wielders struggled for dominance. In seconds, it quickly became clear that Horace was the stronger of the two. His lips pulled back into a wicked smile as the crowbar pushed the scythe further down. Maka gritted her teeth as she fought back both the strength of her opponent as well as her rising fear. She looked Horace in the eyes.

It was a mistake.

Those eyes.

_Oh god._

They were so dark. So cold.

So black and lifeless, like a shark's. Like two glossy orbs embedded into his head, showing no emotion. No fear, no respite. Two cold voids, shut off from all feeling, threatening to drag her into their abyss. Maka had always thought her weapon partner looked like a shark, but now, compared with this man, Soul seemed quite human indeed. At least _his_ eyes were full of life. This man before her... He had the eyes of a monster.

The eyes of a killer.

Maka felt her strength falter before the haunting gaze of the kishin egg.

The crowbar pushed her scythe down and collided with her head. She fell back from the pain...

Slackening her grip-

_Those eyes-_

Losing consciousness-

_So empty-_

Stumbling back-

_So dark-_

He would kill her without a second thought.

_Merciless-_

This was not just a man running around with a knife. This was a true kishin egg, and there was no other word to define it.

_Evil..._

The crowbar swooped down for the finishing blow.

* * *

_The boy and the girl ascended the stairs, huffing and puffing. Sweat trickled down their faces as the heat laid siege upon their tired bodies. Sunlight trailed through the windows and shone upon their glistening forms. Despite their exhaustion, the two hurried down the musty hallways of their apartment complex. The pair stopped at a doorway. The boy quickly fumbled with some keys as the girl tapped her foot. _

_"Hurry up, Soul," the girl said impatiently._

_"I am," the boy replied. _

_The keys slipped through the boy's sweaty fingers. He cursed as the metal clattered on the ground. The girl let a groan of exasperation. The boy quickly picked the keys back up and inserted the correct one into the lock. The door swung open and the two rushed forward, eager to escape their stuffy discomfort into the cool confines of their apartment. _

_But what met them when the door opened was not a refreshing breeze, but a hot gust that further irritated beads of sweat out of their pores. _

_"What!?" the girl groaned with disbelief._

_Suddenly drained of their previous enthusiasm, the two wearily ventured into their shared apartment. The boy cursed and headed towards the back of the apartment. _

_"It's so hot," the girl groaned. _

_"The AC is broken," the boy called from the back room._

_The girl let out another groan as she wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket, collapsing heavily onto the couch._

_"I can't believe this. The landlady needs to fix this NOW."_

_"What should we do, Maka?" the boy asked, coming into the room. _

_The girl only sat there, covering her face with her hands. The boy knew better than to press the matter, so he sat down next to her in equal discomfort. For a strangled moment, neither spoke, silently sharing their misery. Neither had the strength to move. After a couple minutes, the girl stood slowly. The boy looked at her expectantly for direction. He had always turned to her for answers to problems that he couldn't solve, and she always had answers.  
_

_"We have to do homework, Soul."  
_

_The boy frowned at her.  
_

_"But it's so hot!"  
_

_"There's nothing we can do about it, so we just have to deal with it until the landlady finds someone to fix our AC."  
_

_The boy groaned in resignation and stood up too, albeit not nearly as quickly as the girl.  
_

_"Alright, fine."  
_

_And so, the two went on throughout the afternoon in the stuffy heat of their apartment, occasionally getting glasses of water, and barely speaking to one another. It was hell at first, but they soon got used to it, and there was an unspoken agreement between them that they were definitely eating out that night. At least the restaurant they chose had working air conditioning, however short-lived their comfort may be. And as the sun set, the temperature returned to a nice, cool state as they walked back home from the restaurant.  
_

_This wasn't so bad after all. They had made it through the worst of the day.  
_

_Or so they thought.  
_

_When they opened their apartment door, expecting cool air similar to that of outside, they were met with quite the opposite. Stale, stuffy air that retained the disgusting atmosphere of the afternoon blasted them in the faces. They recoiled at its touch, reluctant to enter. Eventually, however, they knew that they had to venture into their apartment, no matter how uncomfortable it may be. And so the two went about through their night in the stuffy heat of their apartment. They brushed their teeth, did their last minute homework, and retired to their beds under the torturing, sweat-inducing temperatures.  
_

_It soon became clear to both of them as they tossed and turned that there was no way that they could sleep when they lay in small, damp pools of their own sweat. The boy was the first to realize this, and he knew that this time, something had to be done. He left his bedroom and knocked on the girl's bedroom door, calling her name. In only a couple seconds she had gotten up and opened her door.  
_

_"Can you sleep?" the boy asked.  
_

_"No," the girl answered. "You?"  
_

_The boy shook his head.  
_

_"What should we do?" the girl asked.  
_

_The boy was rather dumbfounded, as he thought that his friend always had an answer to everything. When he spoke, he was rather uncertain of what to say.  
_

_"I don't know... but we definitely can't sleep when it's like this."  
_

_The girl only nodded in agreement. Then, a thought crossed the boy's mind that made his face light up like a Christmas tree.  
_

_"I know! Let's sleep on the roof!"  
_

_"The roof?"  
_

_"Yeah! Grab your pillow and blankets. Let's go!"  
_

_With renewed excitement, the boy rushed to his room, while the doubtful girl took a little longer to get her bedsheets and her pillow. They met at the door to their apartment. Once there, the boy led the girl up the stairs. They opened a squeaky metal door and this time, they were met with a nice, cool breeze. The boy flashed the girl his signature shark-toothed smile.  
_

_"Feels nice, doesn't it?"  
_

_The girl closed her eyes and took a deep breath of fresh air, smiling as she did so.  
_

_"Yeah, it does."  
_

_"And that's not the best part."  
_

_The boy led the girl onto the center of the roof and instructed her to lie down and look up. The girl did as she was asked and gasped when she did so. The boy smiled and laid down near her, so that their heads pointed towards one another.  
_

_"It's beautiful," the girl whispered.  
_

_"Yeah," the boy agreed.  
_

_They laid there, sharing their awe at the infinite, glittering sky before them. With no clouds to blanket them and little light to dim their beauty, every imaginable star in the sky revealed their twinkling bodies.  
_

_"There's so many," the girl whispered. "We should come up here more often."  
_

_"Yeah, this is amazing," the boy grinned. "But guess what?"  
_

_"What?"  
_

_"We'll be even more amazing when you make me the world's strongest death scythe."  
_

_The girl giggled softly.  
_

_"We'll be so cool," she mimicked.  
_

_The boy laughed heartily.  
_

_"That's right. We'll be so cool."  
_

_The girl giggled again.  
_

_"But what are we going to do once you become the world's strongest death scythe?"  
_

_"Simple. We'll go beat up your dad!"  
_

_The girl laughed.  
_

_"You make it sound so easy."  
_

_"You bet. We'll blow through all those kishin eggs in no time!"  
_

_The girl smiled.  
_

_"Yup!"  
_

_"We're a cool team. You'll get me those souls and I'll protect you in case anything happens."  
_

_The girl was silent for a moment, gazing at the stars. When she spoke, her voice was quiet.  
_

_"Really?"  
_

_"Of course! You're my meister! I'll protect you no matter what!"_

_"Promise?"_

_"Promise!"_

_The girl giggled softly, feeling safer already._

_The boy grinned dreamily as he imagined all the adventures they would go on.  
_

_"Good night, Soul."  
_

_"Good night."_

_Together, under the beautiful starlit sky, basking in a gentle breeze, the boy and the girl drifted off into peaceful sleep._

* * *

So as the crowbar fell for the finishing blow, time seemed to slow down and their conversation flashed across his mind.

_I'll protect you no matter what!_

He watched as the crowbar descended-

Felt the blood pumping in his head-

_Really?  
_

Heard his meister's every breath-

Felt the seconds stretch an eternity-

_Of course! You're my meister!_

Brought his arm out the side of the scythe-

Racing the crowbar-

Pushing his meister in the chest-

Pushing her back-

Feeling her let go-

_Promise?  
_

And then falling-

Clattering on the ground-

Separated-

But knowing she was safe-

Knowing she was safe...

_Promise!_

* * *

Maka stumbled back as a hand pushed her in the chest. She lost her already weakened grip on Soul and he fell on the ground. The crowbar whistled through the empty air that her head occupied only moments earlier. Still stunned by the first attack, she fell back on her bottom, trying to discern objects through the blackness that threatened the edges of her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw Soul in a locked struggle with the kishin egg.

"Maka! Are you alright?" he cried.

But before she could answer, Horace swiped the blade hand aside and gave Soul a vicious blow to the head. The scythe fell back and slammed into the ground.

"Soul!" Maka cried.

'I'm fine!" Soul managed, wincing in pain.

A shadow fell across the two of them.

_Crap._

Maka reached for Soul's hand as his body began to glow, the understanding crossing through their eyes. Horace's crowbar whistled towards them-

Maka's fingers brushed Soul's-

The crowbar closed in-

Maka gripped the handle of her scythe and raised it to block the attack. The force of the blow sent tremors down her whole body. Maka gritted her teeth and reached for Soul's wavelength. They ebbed and flowed until a connection had been established. Maka felt power surge through her body as Soul's tinkling notes floated through her mind. She gathered her strength and then shoved Horace back. The kishin egg stumbled on his feet, startled by Maka's sudden surge in power. She leapt to her feet and adopted a defensive stance.

"Careful now," Soul said. "We have a longer reach. If we keep him back, he can't hurt us."

Maka swiped her scythe and Horace jumped back. Soul was right. Horace tried to get close again. Maka waved her scythe dangerously, but the kishin egg was unfazed. He jumped towards her, swinging down with the crowbar. Maka blocked the blow but felt the weight of the attack through her whole body. She shoved Horace back again, breathing heavily.

"That was dangerous," Soul said.

Maka agreed. If Horace got close and it ended up in a power struggle, then the fight would be over. Her opponent seemed to know this as well, as he attempted to close the distance again. Maka threatened him back with the blade and then made her own attempt at his neck. The attempt was futile. Horace easily stepped back, far from danger. The two killers danced around in this fashion for a couple minutes before it became clear that the battle had become a stalemate.

Or so they thought.

"Give up now, and I'll make your death quick," Horace said.

"Why don't _you_ give up?" Soul shot back. Horace grinned.

"Because eventually, your little meister is going to get tired before I do, and then she won't be as quick or as strong as before," he said.

As he said it, Maka noticed the fatigue in her muscles. Her opponent was right. Their time was running out.

"Well, that just means we have to beat him before we get tired," Soul said. "Let's finish this."

Maka agreed. It was their only option. She advanced upon Horace, keeping him at bay with her scythe. Step by step, she advanced, and step by step, he wavered. Before they knew it, Horace's back was against a wall. A look of fear and anger crossed the kishin egg's eyes. Maka smirked. There was nowhere for him to run. Horace's eyes darkened as he considered the situation. Maka didn't give him time to think. She swung her scythe.

There was nowhere to go-

Nowhere to dodge-

The scythe closed in-

And rammed straight into the wall, inches from Horace's neck. The attack had been thrown too wide. In the very instant that Maka realized her mistake, the crowbar attacked. It jabbed into her neck and sent lances of pain coursing through her whole body. Maka gasped and stumbled back. Another blow fell down on her shoulder.

Then her arm-

Her head-

Her stomach-

She coughed and blood came out-

Her back-

Her cheek-

Soul called her name-

Blinding pain-

Everywhere-

The blackness-

Closing in-

_Is this the end?_

She gripped her scythe firmly.

_No it's not._

She lashed out.

The kishin egg let out a cry of pain. Maka felt blood splatter across her torso. She looked up as Horace stumbled back with a gashing wound on his chest. Soul called out in triumph, but it wasn't over yet. Horace flung the crowbar at Maka. She yelped and tried to block it but it hit her heavily in the chest. She fell back on her bottom as Horace turned and ran.

Soul cursed.

"He escaped."

Maka sat there, huffing and puffing.

"Are you alright, Maka?" Soul asked, transforming back.

"Yeah… I'm just…"

She gasped for air as she felt the wounds on her body throb. Maka felt her vision swim from the blows she took to her head earlier. The pain had been masked by her connection with Soul, but now that they were no longer together, she felt the rush of the battle catch up to her.

She heard Soul call her name, although it seemed faint and distanced. She wobbled a bit as the blackness extended around the edge of her vision.

She was out cold before her head even hit the ground.

* * *

**Okay yeah. I feel like reading about fight scenes isn't nearly as cool as reading them in manga. At least we'll take a break from them for now. :) Next chapter won't be out in a while. Sorry about that, guys.**


	14. Resonance

**Man, that took me forever. How long has it been since I last updated, a month? Yeah, sorry, that's usually how long it takes for me to write a chapter, especially since my summer break is nearing its end. -.- Anyways, here's the next chapter! Soul and Maka's first attempts at resonating! (Keyword: _Attempt_) XD**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Soul Resonance**

* * *

Chapter 14: Resonance

* * *

Soul slowly peeled his eyes open. Sunlight streamed through his window and stung his eyes. He shut them again. But sleep didn't return. Brightness bled through his eyelids, making him further awake. It was after five minutes that he finally submitted to the fact that he wouldn't be able to fall asleep again. Soul groaned and sat up in bed, looking at the clock.

_Holy crap it's ten!_

Then he remembered it was Sunday. The day after their failed mission. Soul sighed as he remembered all that happened last night. After they returned to Death City, they went straight to the infirmary. Their wounds were minor, so they could return home that night, but it was still two in the morning before they could finally get some sleep. Lazily, Soul dragged himself out of bed and headed towards the bathroom with a change of clothes. He stopped when he noticed how quiet their apartment was.

"Maka?" he called.

No answer.

Soul glanced at her bedroom door. It was still closed. Maka was still asleep? No way. Even on Sundays, she'd set her alarm to way before ten. Soul walked up and knocked on her door.

"Maka, can I come in?" Soul asked.

Still no answer.

Quietly, Soul opened his meister's bedroom door and peeked in. Maka lied on her bed, clutching her pillow, breathing softly. Her eyes were closed.

_Holy crap, she's still asleep!_

But then again, who could blame her? She'd been up last night fighting for her life and she suffered some pretty severe bruises. Of course she'd rest.

Soul considered waking her up, and then remembered what happened the _last_ time he did it. Soul shuddered and shut the door as quickly and quietly as he could. Then he headed straight for the bathroom.

Halfway through his shower, Soul heard his meister scream.

His blood ran cold. He jumped out of the shower but then hesitated. If he walked out there now, she and whoever else was there would see him completely naked, which was _totally_ uncool. But did he honestly give a crap about his coolness when his meister was in danger? Soul made his decision. Quickly, he wrapped a towel around his waist and flung the door open.

"Maka! What's wrong?!" he shouted.

His meister's bedroom door opened and Maka stormed out. She spotted him and her eyes widened as they flitted across his exposed form.

"Soul! What are you doing?"

"Wha…? I heard you scream."

Maka facepalmed and then began pushing Soul back into the bathroom.

"It was nothing. Hurry up and get changed. You're dripping everywhere!"

He protested but she shoved him in and slammed the door.

Soul stood there awkwardly, wondering what the heck just happened.

* * *

"Wow, Maka. That's totally uncool."

Maka blushed and tried to make up for it with a frown.

"Shut up, Soul!"

"I mean, _wanting_ to go back to class is one thing, but screaming because you slept in on a Sunday? You've just sunk to a new low."

"Maka Chop!"

Soul grumbled and rubbed his head, quieting down in the process.

"Just hurry up and finish your breakfast, Soul."

"Why? What's the rush?"

"Well, there's this _super cool_ move that I want us to learn, but it'll take lots of practice."

Soul visibly perked up at _super cool, _a grin spreading across his face_._

"Really?"

"Yes. Now finish up your eggs and we can practice."

His plate was empty in seconds.

* * *

"Here's a good spot."

Soul slowed down and parked the motorcycle at a nearby bike rack and then looked around. They were at a park that showed off what little greenery was available in Death City. It was a decently sized grassy field that burnt from the sunlight. Small paved pathways crisscrossed the open expanse. Few people were about in the small grassy space and very little trees offered any cover from the burning sun. Soul and Maka dismounted and headed towards the green.

"So what's the super cool move like?" Soul asked excitedly.

"Well…" Maka smiled. "It's super cool."

"And?"

"It's powerful…"

Soul growled impatiently. She was planning something. He knew it. She had that rare, mischievous smile on her face with the evil glint in her eyes.

"And?"

"It's really hard to master, so you're going to have to listen to everything I say."

Soul sighed. Maka smiled.

"Whatever. I'll listen."

Her smile brightened, and Soul couldn't help but return a lazy grin.

"Let's find more space," Maka suggested.

She grabbed Soul's hand and led him towards the middle of the empty park. They settled at an area that was slightly shaded by a tall tree. Maka turned and faced Soul with a smile.

"The move is called Soul Resonance," she said excitedly, grabbing Soul's hand. "Let's get started."

"Wait, wait, slow down, Maka," Soul said. "I'm not really getting this."

Maka sighed impatiently.

"Remember how we connected our wavelengths when we fought Sid and Horace?"

Soul nodded.

"And remember how that made me stronger?"

Soul nodded again.

"Well, connecting our souls is actually just the first step of something bigger, which is Soul Resonance."

"Cool. So what does Soul Resonance do?"

"Well, it varies from pair to pair, but it usually changes the appearance and strength of the weapon. Demon scythes like you enter a form called Witch Hunter."

Maka held up a book with a picture of a weapon.

It was probably the most badass weapon Soul had ever seen.

It was obviously a scythe, but the blade was replaced by a gleaming crescent moon. The moon had a massive red eye and a wicked grin. The diagram showed the blade cutting through solid rock. Soul grinned with excitement.

"That's so cool!"

"Yeah, and we're going to master it!"

Maka held out her hand. Soul took it immediately and transformed into a scythe.

"Okay, the first step is to connect our wavelengths," Maka said. She closed her eyes as a look of concentration crossed her face.

Soul followed her lead and focused on his meister's presence. After only a few seconds, Maka's familiar warmth flooded Soul's thoughts.

There was his soul, and then there was hers. Drifting closely, holding hands, a simple embrace. It was as if half the burden he never realized he had- half his _life_- had been lifted and carried by his meister, and at the same time, the weight of _her_ life settled upon him. He found it exhilarating- to share the burden with someone else. To do it together. To know that _she was there._

They were getting better at this.

"Alright. Connection has been established. What's next?" Soul asked. Maka bit her lower lip.

"This is the hard part," she said. "Now I have to send my wavelength into you, and you have to return it, like an echo."

"An echo?"

"Yeah, except louder. Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's do this."

Maka gripped Soul's hilt firmly and screwed her eyes shut in concentration.

Nothing happened.

Maka let out a small battle cry.

Soul didn't feel anything different.

"Are you feeling anything?" Maka managed through gritted teeth.

"No. Do you know how to send your wavelength into me?"

"N-No…"

An awkward silence descended upon the two of them.

It was broken by Soul's laughter.

"You're really smart but you can be a real idiot if you want to!" he laughed. "You really are the best partner!"

Maka sighed and couldn't help but smile at her partner's words.

"Let's try again," she said. "Before, I was focusing on strengthening our connection. Maybe instead, I should…"

All at once, Soul felt the burden double, _triple_. He gasped with shock and began struggling wildly in his meister's grasp. With the burden came a sudden spike in pain that stabbed through his essence like an ice cold fire. Soul struggled madly, changing back into his human form, seeking _any_ way to terminate the connection that was blinding him with agony. Maka gave a yelp as Soul collapsed on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Soul! What's wrong?" Maka cried, quickly kneeling beside her weapon's agonized form.

Soul groaned as he rubbed his forehead with the palms of his hands.

"Soul! Soul!"

"That hurt…"

"I'm so sorry! Soul, I didn't mean to-"

"No, it's fine."

Soul winced from the pain but gave her his best smile.

"I'm sure we're on the right track. Your wavelength hurts as bad as your temper."

"Hey! It's not my fault!"

Soul chuckled.

"Anyways, let's try this again."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, of course. You're gonna make me the world's strongest Death Scythe, right?"

"Alright."

Soul transformed once more and Maka picked him back up. In an instant, they had connected souls again.

"Ready?" Maka asked.

"Yeah."

Soul watched as his meister closed her eyes. Moments later, the burden began increasing like before. Soul inwardly gritted his teeth and resisted the urge to leap out of Maka's hands. It wasn't long before the pain was too much to bear. Soul cried out and began transforming back. Maka immediately let go with a small gasp.

"Soul!"

"Argh! Geez! Can't you be more gentle with your wavelength!?"

"I-I'm sorry! I don't know what I'm doing wrong!"

"Just try not to shove your wavelength into me, okay?"

"O-okay…"

And so, his day of torture began.

* * *

"Argh!"

Maka yelped and let go immediately. For probably the twentieth time, Soul fell to the ground, writhing in agony.

"Soul! Soul! Let's just stop this!" Maka cried.

"No, let's keep going."

"But I don't want to hurt you!"

"It's fine!"

Maka frowned. She knew Soul wouldn't give up so easily. Soul grabbed her hand. He was still gasping deeply. Maka was worried. She had never seen Soul push himself so hard. Heck, he was pushing himself further than _she_ was willing to go. Soul transformed and jumped into her hands. Maka sighed. She decided then never to use _super cool_ to convince Soul to do anything ever again. She was just hurting her weapon, and he _wanted_ it to continue.

"Let's go, Maka."

She stood there hesitantly.

"Maka?"

"Soul… what does it… feel like?"

"Huh?"

"The pain. How am I… hurting you?"

"Well, it feels like there's this burden that we share…"

Maka nodded. She felt a burden being lifted too, when she connected her wavelength with Soul's.

"But then when you do whatever you're doing, it suddenly feels like the burden doubles, and then it starts hurting."

Maka bit her lip in thought and guilt.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?"

"Wait, Soul. How about we try something different."

"Like what?"

"Maybe once the burden is too much to bear, you push it back towards me. You have to echo my wavelength, after all."

"Oh yeah, I never thought about that…"

Maka shook her head and sighed. If he weren't in his weapon form right now, he would get one big chop to the head.

"Alright, let's try it again."

"Okay."

Maka closed her eyes. Almost without effort, she connected her soul wavelength with her weapon's. She felt the familiar sensation of the weight of her soul lifting. Slowly, she let it lift higher and higher, easing it onto the weapon in her hands. Harder and harder, she let her wavelength into her partner. It was usually at this point that Soul couldn't handle it anymore-

"Argh…"

Maka immediately ceased sending her wavelength into her weapon.

"No… K-keep going, Maka."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes!"

Unsteadily, Maka let her wavelength fall back onto her weapon's soul. As her burden slowly slipped away, she felt a sense of weightlessness.

Freedom.

Flying.

All at once, a force dragged her back down.

Maka gasped as she felt the burden increase at an impossibly quick yet steady rate.

_So this was what Soul felt._

Maka gritted her teeth as she tried to endure the pressure, but soon, the pain followed.

Maka cried out and let go of Soul.

"Maka!" Soul called, transforming quickly. Maka fell back on her bottom, wincing in pain.

"Are you alright?!"

"Y-yeah… That hurt."

"I think we need a break. Let's go eat lunch."

Maka sighed.

_Finally._

* * *

Maka cried in pain and dropped her weapon for what must be the fiftieth time in a row. Soul transformed and called out his meister's name. Maka sank to her knees, clutching her head with her hands.

"Maka! Maka!"

"That _hurts_, Soul!"

"S-sorry…"

After a moment of heavy breathing, Maka was back to her usual self.

"Again!"

"But…"

"Now!"

She jabbed her hand into his face. Soul reared back and then sighed. He complied to his meister's orders, transforming into a scythe. They connected souls practically the moment they touched.

"Don't push yourself, Maka."

"I'm not!"

"Yes you are!"

"You're the one sending that painful wavelength into me!"

"What? It was your wavelength to begin with!"

_"Soul!"_

The burden suddenly multiplied, along with the pain. Soul yelped and jumped out of his meister's grip.

"Watch it! You did that on purpose!"

"That's because I wanted to teach you a lesson but I couldn't chop you."

"You're so violent, geez."

Maka groaned, equally as frustrated as Soul was with their progress.

"I hate you Soul! Why do you always have to be so mean and sarcastic?"

"Hey! It's better than being violent and short tempered!"

"I can't take this anymore!"

Maka stormed off several feet. Soul was about to call for her when her cell phone rang. Maka sighed and answered it.

"Hello?"

A look of shock and curiosity crossed the young meister's features. Curious, Soul walked up to his meister.

"Alright, we'll be there shortly."

Maka ended the call and put her phone away.

"What was that about?" Soul asked.

"I don't know, but Lord Death wants to see us. It's about Horace Malady."

* * *

**So, anyone spot the lines taken straight from the manga? :)**

**Besides that, there's this soundtrack stuck in my head. It's "Tsuna Awakens" from the Katekyo Hitman Reborn OST, and it was on repeat as I finished up this chapter and now I can't get it out. X(**


	15. Failure

**So yeah, sorry I haven't updated in a while. School's been very busy for me. X( But anyways, I can't believe that the manga is finally over! The ending was... well, conclusive... but disappointing. Well, besides that, here's the latest chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord Death.**

* * *

Chapter 15: Failure

* * *

Maka's nerves were all shot by the time they reached the Death Room's door.

If Lord Death wanted to speak to them about Horace Malady, then it must be something bad, especially since they failed their mission. She had never gotten into trouble like this before. It was almost like slicing someone in half for the first time. She was opened up to a completely different and horrifying world. Her mind whirred with wonder at what punishments the grim reaper would impose on them. Knowing that she was the Death Scythe's daughter, Lord Death might go easy on her, but that was a far-fetched hope. As they walked down the pathway, Maka couldn't help but note the gleam coming off the sharp blades on the undersides of the arches that they walked under. By the time they approached the foreboding mirror, Maka was sweating.

For some reason, this was scarier than facing a kishin egg-

"Hey, Maka."

"Eep!"

Maka cried out and slammed her book on her weapon's head.

"Ow! Watch it! What was that for?"

"S-sorry. What did you want?"

"I just wanted to know if you were okay. You look really pale."

"I'm just a bit nervous. T-That's all! I've never gotten into this much trouble before!"

"Geez, cool down. I've been in this much trouble a lot of times. It's not like we're going to die or anything."

"Hey! Don't lower me to your standards!"

"Ahem…"

The normally cheerful voice drifted across them like a cold wind.

Maka gasped and immediately turned her attention to the mirror, which was now occupied by the ghastly grim reaper.

"Y-Yes…?" Maka stammered.

"Good afternoon, Maka! How was your day?"

"W-What? Aren't you… mad at me?"

"Oh yeah I was… But I just wanted a nice greeting first."

"O-okay…"

"But since you're so eager to get straight to the point, I shall begin to talk to you about your failed mission."

Maka gulped with fear and anxiety. This was what had been keeping her up late last night, tossing and turning endlessly with the thought of punishment. She was scared. They failed their mission and killed someone that wasn't on Lord Death's list. Punishment might be an understatement for what was in store for them.

"Well, from what we have gathered, you two failed to defeat Horace Malady, correct?"

"Yes…"

"And you killed someone that wasn't on my list."

"Y-Yes…"

"Well, first of all, I'm very glad that two of you made it out alive after facing two opponents. Congratulations of surviving your first mission. Second of all, the man you two killed was indeed a kishin egg, which means you saved me the trouble of having to put him on my list. So thank you very much for that!"

"Y-you're… welcome?"

"But third of all, I have some grave news for you two that could have been easily prevented had you followed your training and instructions."

Maka gulped with anticipation.

"Late last night, two upperclassmen, a weapon and meister pair, were killed on a mission only a couple miles away from yours. Now, deaths are not uncommon on missions, but the cause of death for these two was quite unexpected. During their mission, an unexpected danger appeared."

_Danger…? But what does this have to do with us?_

"From eyewitness reports, we have discovered that, during their fight with the kishin egg, a bleeding waiter appeared and attacked the two students with a massive crowbar. It is highly likely that this mysterious waiter is Horace Malady."

Maka gasped with realization and shock from the news.

"Now, there were a couple of things that you could have done to prevent this."

But Maka was only half listening as she thought about the news.

_Two students died… Because I couldn't kill Horace._

_Because I was weak…_

"First of all, you should have confirmed whether your first opponent was actually your target, and you should have avoided any unnecessary fighting."

"Hey, that man attacked us first!" Soul defended.

"Regardless, you should have confirmed if he was Horace or not before fighting him. He could have simply been an ordinary street thief. You two just got lucky this time that you didn't kill someone that wasn't a kishin egg."

Soul growled in defeat. Maka listened only halfheartedly, still trying to grasp the enormity of her mistake.

"If you had avoided unnecessary fighting, you might have had the strength to defeat Horace, and this tragedy could have been prevented. But more importantly, the two of you didn't report to me straight away after the fight. It is very simple to call me. As you already know, all you have to do is write 42-42-564 on a mirror."

Maka hung her head. This was all her fault. She fell unconscious after their battle and she had never bothered to tell Soul about the combination. She thought she could handle it all herself, and her habitual distrust of her partner had yet again caused something bad to happen.

_Why couldn't I be stronger? Why didn't I tell Soul?_

"I'm sorry…"

"That is all. You're dismissed for today."

Maka looked up in surprise.

"Wait… You're not going to punish us?"

Soul shot her a look that said, _Shut up! Don't remind him!_

"No, I'm not going to punish you. As I said earlier, I'm very glad that the two of you made it out alive after facing two kishin eggs. Punishing you just wouldn't be right. Just remember to report the mission status to me right away after a mission."

"But…"

"Thank you very much, Lord Death! We'll be going now," Soul interjected quickly. He hastily dragged Maka away from the mirror. She opened her mouth once but then closed it. Inside, she was a whirlwind of emotion, mostly guilt.

They weren't going to be punished? Somehow, that made it even worse.

* * *

"So… are we going to continue training?"

The depressed girl didn't reply.

Soul frowned at his meister as they walked down the front steps of DWMA. The afternoon heat had arrived, making faraway buildings shimmer from its intensity. Soul wiped sweat from his brow and tried to get his meister's attention again.

"Maka."

Her shoulders drooped and her eyes had lost their brightness. It wasn't the first time Soul had seen her like this. She'd seemed this depressed before when she got a B on a test once. It had worried him the first time and it worried him this time as well.

"Maka!"

Her eyes drifted to his face.

"Do you want to continue training?"

"No…" she managed after a moment.

Soul sighed, whether from frustration or relief he didn't know. Sometimes he hated her for it- for keeping all her emotions to herself. No matter how many times he told her she could trust him, she always tried to handle everything on her own. Then out of nowhere, she'd start hitting him with books and screaming at everything, animate or otherwise, because she would no longer be able to hold it all in.

Her condition grew worse as the day lengthened. She sat on her bed with her arms wrapped around her knees, staring at nothing. Soul didn't even see her working on her homework, a rare thing on its own, and she only responded to his questions with softly spoken words- fragments of sentences. It seemed as if she was receding into herself, trying to avoid all contact with everything around her. By evening, he knew there was no way she was cooking for the night so he forcefully dragged her out of the apartment to go eat at the local pizza parlor. She moved without resistance, but it seemed as if she didn't even know where she was. Soul barely got a couple words out of her when he asked her what she wanted.

As they waited for their food, Soul tried to say something, _anything,_ to get her out of her mood. He could guess why she was acting like this. She probably blamed herself for everything that went wrong, and she was trying to cope with the guilt she pulled on herself. It frustrated Soul to no end how much she tried to handle everything on her own. What were they even _partners_ for?

"Maka! Look at me!" Soul said.

She gazed at him with lost, lifeless eyes.

"It wasn't your fault, okay? You didn't know that was going to happen!"

An emotion that seemed like surprise crossed her features. Then she lowered her eyes and shook her head without saying anything. Soul groaned and tried again.

"You did the best you could, Maka! Horace was injured! No one could've expected him to go attack someone else with a wound like that!"

For the first time since their meeting with Lord Death that day, she gave him a full sentence. It was spoken so softly that Soul almost missed it, and it filled him with both relief and frustration.

"But I couldn't kill him."

"So?"

"If I killed him, they might have lived."

Soul gave up then, because he didn't have anything to counter that.

For the rest of the night, he couldn't get another word out of his partner. She locked herself into her room as soon as they got home and she didn't come back out, or at least not before Soul fell asleep.

* * *

Maka slowly picked up her pencil and gazed at the worksheet before her.

_The first Death Scythe was:_

She stared at the paper and tried to make sense out of the question.

_The first Death Scythe was:_

But her eyes glazed over, and try as she might, she couldn't concentrate. Memories of her conversation with Lord Death earlier that day still haunted her, and she couldn't fall asleep even though it was well past midnight.

_The first Death Scythe was:  
_

_It's all my fault. I was the one who killed those two._

She felt all sorts of emotions- sadness, grief, fear… guilt.

_If I just hadn't hit the wall that time…_

She knew it was stupid to be thinking _if only, if only,_ but she couldn't help it. She had just made too many mistakes that mission.

_Mother would have never done something like that._

At the thought of her mother, Maka felt tears reach her eyes, but she quickly held them back. She shook her head and then lied down to try to sleep for probably the tenth time in a row. Eventually, sleep did come to her weary mind, but it was not without nightmares.

Her homework lay untouched on her desk.

It seemed like only a couple minutes passed before she heard knocking on her door.

"Maka! Are you up yet?"

She wanted to answer him, but didn't feel the strength to do so. After a pause, the door cracked open. Maka sleepily cast her dead eyes towards the open doorway. A feint, burning aroma reached her nostrils as her partner appeared at the doorway.

"It's time for school, Maka," was all he said before he left.

Maka lied in her bed a moment longer before dragging her spiritless body out of bed. It was only a minute after she sat down at the table that she realized there was food in front of her.

"I made scrambled eggs. Your favorite," Soul said. "But they might be burnt. I didn't really know how to cook them."

Maka looked with wonder at the food her partner had prepared for her. Yet, she couldn't find the spirit to voice her thanks. The eggs were salty and overcooked, but she barely felt anything as she put them in her mouth. She didn't care.

She thought her depression couldn't get any worse.

That is, until they went school.

* * *

There were more whispers than usual as they walked down the hallways.

"She's the one who failed her mission, right?"

"Yeah. I heard some upperclassmen died because of it. I heard their girlfriends crying in the hallways."

"Man, that's harsh!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Soul could see Maka's shoulders droop further and her head fall lower.

"Hey!" Soul shouted at the students near them. "Shut up! Scram!"

"Ooh. Her weapon's shouting at us."

"He looks scary. That's kinda cool."

"I mean it!" Soul shouted.

The girls squealed and ran off. Soul scowled with distaste. _No one_ was going to make his meister feel any worse.

"Maka. Don't listen to them. They don't know what they're talking about," Soul said.

Again, she didn't reply.

As they reached their classroom door, a certain divine intervention stepped in front of them.

"MAKA ALBARN!"

A blue-haired idiot stood in the doorway, blocking their path. Maka looked up at the adversary.

"How dare you get more attention than me, you commoner?" Black Star shouted.

"Hey, back off, Black Star," Soul growled. "Maka doesn't need any more stress."

"Stress? What have you been doing, Soul?"

"Me? Nothing! You're the one that's-"

But Black Star wasn't listening. He grasped Maka by her shoulders and gave her a big grin.

"Listen up, Maka. If Soul or anyone else is bullying you, you can tell me about it and I'll beat the crap out of them! Nobody messes with the great Black Star's followers!" he said.

A look of surprise crossed Maka's and Soul's faces. After a moment of silence, Maka lowered her eyes and gave a slight nod.

"Alright! So who's been messing with you?"

Maka didn't respond. She simply brushed past the ninja and headed for her seat. Soul followed, leaving Tsubaki to try to explain things to her clueless meister.

Class went by in a blur, and when it ended, Maka left for her locker without another word. Soul was worried about leaving his meister alone in the hallways, but he let her go.

He never should have done so.

* * *

**Cliffhangers FTW! Again, sorry, but the next chapter won't be out for a while. Until then, have a nice day. :)**


	16. Faith

**There's too much depressing stuff in my story lately, so I decided to throw in some poorly made fluff to lighten the mood. Hope you guys like it. XD**

**Disclaimer: This is not a true story.**

* * *

Chapter 16: Faith

* * *

Maka hefted her book bag onto her shoulders and then shut her locker door. All at once, a hand grabbed the back of her head and slammed her face against the hard metal. Maka cried out. Her bag was suddenly torn from her shoulder and she slumped to the ground.

"Hey bitch." It was a female voice.

"You're the one that failed her mission, right?"

Maka raised her gaze to look at her attacker.

An upperclassman stood before her, holding her bag in her hands.

"You're the one who got my boyfriend killed."

The girl emptied Maka's bag onto the floor. But Maka didn't yelp in surprise or sadness even as her painstakingly written and organized papers spilled all across the ground. She just stared at the girl in front of her. The girl had eyes that were puffy from crying, but they weren't crying at the moment. They were filled with malice.

"You let Horace live and now my boyfriend's dead."

The girl threw the bag on the floor and then kicked Maka in the gut.

"You shouldn't have picked that mission! You should've let someone else handle it!"

Another foot to the stomach. Maka gasped in pain.

"You're too weak. My boyfriend saved your life once. And this is how you repay him."

Maka looked at them, confused.

_Saved… my life?_

The girl grew angry at her silence. She grabbed Maka's pigtail and yanked upwards.

"Say something!" the girl screamed. "Don't you feel any regret at all?!"

But Maka didn't resist- didn't speak. What would she say? She was right, and sorry wasn't even the right word to describe how she felt. She deserved this. The girl began kicking her limp body.

"He saved your life! You weakling!" she shouted hysterically between kicks. "They're dead! They're dead!"

And Maka felt a sensation of being trapped, not against the lockers, but within herself. The world seemed to fade away. The screams became whispers. The kicks became little pricks of pain. The light became dim and blinding all at once. But the deeper she tried to hide, the further she tried to run, the louder it became clear.

_Weak._

* * *

Soul glanced at the clock on the wall again. Maka was late. At first, he just passed it off as a side effect of her mental state, but now his anxiety rose with every tick of the second hand. Now, he was caught in a dilemma. He wanted to go look for his meister, but she had always told him to wait for her at the entrance. If she arrived when he was gone looking for her, she'd end up waiting for him, which was not cool. But what if something happened? What if she was attacked and he wasn't there to defend her? In her current state, trying to fight her inner emotions, she wouldn't put up much of a fight.

Maka was never late.

Soul took off in the direction towards his meister's locker.

* * *

"Worthless!"

"Piece of trash!"

Maka felt as though she were disappearing. Her body descending in the murkiness- her head swimming with pity. The kicking was her heartbeat. The words were her voice.

And the guilt…

The failure…

The venom was her blood.

"Scum!"

"Die!"

"Hey."

Her heartbeat stopped. The venom stopped.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"None of your business, freshie."

"I think it is."

"And who might you be?"

"Me? I am a GOD!"

A sudden whoosh.

A cry of pain.

Then silence.

"Are you alright?"

The murky darkness muffled the voice, but as it continued to speak, the shadows slowly cleared.

"Maka."

Her eyes opened. Tsubaki was kneeling in front of her.

"Are you alright?"

Maka only stared at the Japanese weapon with a blank look on her face.

"Maka!"

Soul appeared in her vision, his expression horrified by the sight he saw.

"About time you showed up, Soul!" Black Star shouted. Soul ignored him, rushing to Maka's side.

"Are you alright? Maka!"

She turned away, somehow unable to meet his gaze.

"Maka. God damn, I'm so sorry. I…"

His voice faltered when he noticed the sad look in her eyes.

"Of course she's fine! I saved her! She should be honored that I'm not asking her to kneel down and kiss my feet!"

Soul turned on Black Star.

"You shut up!" he hissed.

"What? How dare you? You can't command a god to stop talking!"

"This isn't about you right now, back off!"

"WHAT?!"

Maka sat up.

The two idiots instantly stopped shouting and turned to her.

"Are you feeling better now?" Tsubaki asked.

Maka nodded silently.

Tsubaki smiled.

"Ha! See?" Black Star shouted, crossing his arms.

A look of relief crossed Soul's face as he closed his eyes and sighed. But in an instant, he had opened them again and grabbed her hand, hoisting her to her feet.

"I'm not letting you out of my sight ever again," Soul said.

With that, he led her away, away from the school, and away from all the whispers that surrounded them.

But the further they walked, the more it bothered her, until each step felt like a deeper hole into oblivion- a harder pang on her conscience.

_He saved your life! You weakling!_

Saved her life?

How?

Who?

The only person that had saved her life before was Soul, and on numerous occasions, too. Like when he pushed her out of the way in their fight with Horace, or when he fought off the kishin egg with the knife in the alley, and when he protected her from that witch until help arrived.

Until help arrived.

_Oh god, no…_

_Help? Who?  
_

_That's the uncool part.  
_

_Please, no…_

But there was no other possibility.

She didn't even know their names.

The two students that died were the club and his pig-like meister, who had so bravely fought for her after she had beaten them up.

_No…_

She never even thanked them for it.

* * *

Soul didn't think it was possible, but Maka's condition grew even worse. She didn't even look at him when he talked to her, and she appeared like a pale corpse drifting about the apartment- that is, when she actually moved about. Most of the time, she just curled up on her bed with a blank look in her eyes.

It didn't help that Soul felt pretty crappy himself. He felt a monstrous guilt for not being there for Maka when she needed him.

_I'm such an idiot!  
_

He should have never let her out of his sight. He had failed to protect his meister and she paid the price for it. And then when he tried to apologize… she… she _turned away!_ It felt like a stab through his heart when she wouldn't accept his apology. He would give anything to reverse time and fix everything.

_I need to calm down._

Soul sighed.

_It'll all pass eventually. Then everything will be back to normal._

With that in mind, he got up from his desk and left his bedroom to get some water. But when he passed the open bedroom door with the only other occupant in the apartment, he stopped. She was no longer curled up on her bed. Rather, she lay sprawled across it with her eyes open and staring at nothing.

Motionless.

"Maka!" Soul cried, rushing to her side.

_Oh god, this is not happening… Please… Shit, shit, shit!_

Soul looked around frantically for what she could possibly have used to harm herself.

"Maka!" Soul cried again.

She blinked and looked at him.

Soul groaned with relief. This girl was going to be the death of him. When she wasn't slamming books on his head, she was giving him heart attacks by pretending to be dead. This needed to stop.

Soul sat Maka up and shook her by her shoulders.

"Maka. Look at me."

_This is happening way too much lately._

"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. But this has gone too far. It has to stop. Just let it go. It's not your fault."

She blinked.

Soul sighed. He knew it wouldn't be this easy.

"Thinking about it won't change anything. Just forget about it!"

"Forget… about it?"

A sentence! At last! He was making progress-

"How can you say that, Soul?"

* * *

"What…?" Soul asked, bewildered.

"How… can you be so insensible, Soul?"

They were the first words out of her mouth that day, and it took her all her strength just to say them without breaking. She felt like a stressed string that could snap at the slightest provocation.

"Insensible? I'm trying to help you here!"

"Did you feel _anything_ when Lord Death told us that two people died because of us?"

Soul stopped, shocked at her sudden outburst. At the same time, for reasons she did not know, she felt herself getting angrier and angrier.

"_Nothing_ at all?"

"I _did_ feel something!"

"Then what?!"

"I felt guilty, but more than that, I was glad you were safe! Sometimes you can't have everything, Maka, so just let it go!"

"You don't know how this feels!" Maka screamed.

It felt good. Like finally being able to punch someone in the face after being held back for ages.

"You don't know what it's like!"

And then the floodgates were opened.

"You have no idea at all!"

She balled her hands into fists and began beating him in the chest. Soul grunted in pain but held his ground.

"You didn't have to ride a deathtrap for the first time in your life! You didn't have to throw up your least favorite food in the world! You didn't have to slice someone in half and watch him die!"

Hot tears streamed down Maka's face as she let out the biggest emotional release she had ever felt.

"Do you even know who died?! Did you _care?!"_

She hit Soul so hard that he stumbled back, but he stayed in place, listening to her cries.

"It was those two upperclassmen that saved our lives! The club meister pair!"

All at once, her beating relented and instead, she clutched Soul's shirt with a death grip.

"We didn't even know their names! We never even thanked them!"

Her voice dropped to a strangled whisper.

"First my father, and now me… The Albarns have done such horrible things to them!"

And then she let out a wail- a wail of despair and anguish and pain and relief all at once. A wail of apology and grief, with the pain and guilt leaving her body and soaking Soul's shirt where she buried her face.

And for the second time in her life, she let her ever-loyal weapon- a _boy_- hold her in his arms as she cried and cried and cried.

"Idiot," Soul murmured. "You were trying to keep all this inside? You should have just let it all go. It wasn't your fault."

The tears continued to stream, and as all the anguish slowly left with them, she felt immeasurably grateful for her weapon, who stuck up for her at school, who listened to her even as she beat him senseless, who helped her through this mess, and even went as far as trying to _cook_ for her. It was a wonder how she ever doubted her partner. As the tears drained her strength and she felt sleep approaching, she managed to voice her thanks, a feeble sentence that could do no justice to the mountains that her ever-faithful companion had done for her.

"Thank you, Soul…"

* * *

It was cold that day.

Cold, even in the desert.

In another place, it might have been burning, but for the residents of Death City, Nevada, it was cold. But it wasn't cold because of the temperature. The midday desert sun beat down upon black suits, dark dresses, and glistening faces. Barely anything cast a shadow on the congregation at the cemetery. The sun spared no one and relented at nothing. The long rows of people in black were sweaty from their prolonged stay outdoors.

But it was cold.

It was cold to stand there.

It was cold to see the two caskets.

It was cold to feel the breath of the cemetery.

And it was cold to hear the breaking voice that tried to speak through sobs.

"He was… courageous… and he always-"

Sob.

"He always… stood up... for those he-"

Sniff.

"Those he-"

The woman at the podium took deep, shuddering breaths.

"He-"

She tried to blink back tears. The paper she held before her was crumpled by her clenched fists. The enormity of the final word was too much for her to bear, screaming what she gave and never should have lost.

"...Loved."

And then she burst into sobs and collapsed against the podium. Her cries filled the air at the desolate cemetery. Cries of a mother who attended the funeral she was never meant to see. All the onlookers stood silently. Gravely. Beside Soul, Maka shivered.

Soul didn't know why they were invited to the funeral, where no one would want them. But a strange request from a mysterious person had called them there. He remembered how his meister looked when she received the letter- how it almost brought her to tears again.

The cries continued to chill the hearts of all who heard them. The other three parents of the deceased were also in tears, and their voices wove a melody of grief and sadness. Finally, two men came up to help the woman down, but she stopped them. Of enormous will, she subdued her cries to sobs, and then spoke in a trembling voice.

"Ma...ka... Albarn..."

Soul's meister stiffened.

"Soul... Eater..."

Soul felt a cold wind pass over his heart.

"We… invited you… today… to grieve the passing… of our sons…"

She paused as another bout of cries coursed through her body.

"And to make..."

Soul was frozen in place, unable to move or speak or do anything except hear the voice of the woman at the podium.

"...a request..."

She struggled to get the words out, as if it took all her strength to voice them.

"They saved... your lives..."

Another sob.

"There must be a reason… that you're here today… There must be a reason… that you're alive and they're…"

Her breathing broke off in a strangled cry.

"So please..."

Her voice dropped to a whisper and she sank to her knees, her hands clutching the podium to support herself.

"Please don't let them... die in vain..."

And then the woman collapsed, the last of her strength leaving her.

Maka shivered again, and when Soul glanced at her, he could see tears falling from her eyes.

"I will avenge them," she hissed. "I will kill Horace Malady."

* * *

**Alright, so you may have guessed by now, but Horace will be the main villain of this plot. And again, the next chapter won't be out in a while. I have so much homework. XP**


End file.
